Last year my friend challenged me to memorise Romans 8 by the end of the year, which had been a failed resolution of mine for some time. And last year I completed it. Like my HSC essay, I crammed Romans 8 in one day and memorised it before the deadline—on December 31st. I can show you how to memorise Scripture in one day. And lose it in a day.
But Andrew M. Davis in his new book shows us how to memorise Scripture for life.
The Delight of Memorising
How to Memorize Scripture for Life insists on the possibility and necessity of memorising entire books of the Bible. In his fourth and arguably best chapter, Davis argues that if all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16), we cannot afford to neglect any portion of Scripture—especially in our memorisation—for God speaks no word in vain.
How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books
Andrew M. Davis
How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books
Andrew M. Davis
Memorising books of the Bible is often dismissed as impossible or too time consuming.
Andrew M. Davis helps readers commit to extended Scripture memorization so they may grow in holiness, resist temptation, and share the gospel with others. In this brief guide, he offers an accessible, time-tested pattern for studying Scripture that includes simple daily procedures and tips for long-term retention. By building up a storehouse of biblical truth in their hearts, readers will strengthen their prayer life and intimacy with Christ as they prepare to share God’s truth with others.
Memorising whole books places the control and onus on the passage to reveal new insights. It respects the passage’s flow of thought, and guards against overlooking lesser-known verses that illuminate those famous verses now that we’ve read them in their right context.
It’s like going on a winter hike through a familiar forest and finally noticing the beauty of every tree bark and branch. Such details only appear to us because we have grown so familiar with the forest; familiarity that forces our eyes to delve for beauty deeper than simply the colour of the leaves.
Memorizing the whole book will give you a perspective on the entire message of the book (the forest, the big picture), as well as the details in each paragraph (the trees). (13)
Davis’ argument is particularly poignant for preachers and their hearers: “When the time comes to preach through a book of the Bible, think how deep and rich will be your preaching” (13).
Inspired by his approach, I began memorising Philippians. Memorising Philippians from chapter 1 verse 1 forced me to pay attention to every “for”, “and”, “all”, or “from”. These are the neglected grammatical conjunctions we only notice when making memorisation mistakes; mistakes that prompt us to consider their conjunctive purpose; purposes that reveals scriptural truths penetrated only by persistent digging; digging that comes when we uncover Scripture through memorisation.
I have read Philippians countless times but now share in Davis’s delight. No matter your familiarity with a book, memorisation unveils new paths of insights:
For me, one of the greatest delights in almost four decades of memorization has been the steady stream of new insights that come to my mind from memorization. Sometimes these insights come after I have reviewed the verses for months. Suddenly, light dawns in a new way on one of the verses, and I see things I’ve never seen before. (14)
If reading Scripture is to see God’s face in a mirror dimly, memorising Scripture is to notice the endearing dimples, wrinkles and freckles that renew your love for God as you see his face clearer.
The Mechanical Method
Davis’s method of memorising is constructed on the cornerstone belief that memorising a whole book is valuable. The method is not complex: repetition over time, supplemented by photographing the verses with your eyes to sear them into your brain; repeating the verse out loud; and a structured plan (dictating specific verses per day and the finish date). In Appendix 1, he tables the number of chapters and verses in each biblical book to assist you in crafting your own Bible memorisation plan. This easily replicable structure helps memorisation appear far more achievable.
But the focus on repetition only provides the skeleton for a daily rhythm of memorisation. With just a skeleton, there is a risk that memorising the Bible can become simply mechanical.
Memorising With Delight
In chapter 3, Davis addresses a variety of excuses for not memorising Scripture: “I don’t have a good memory”, “I’m too busy”, “I don’t know how to do it”. The most dangerous?
“I’m not very interested”.
Given we prioritise what we love, an unwillingness to memorise Scripture may reveal a heart that has little love or interest in the word of God; a heart that fails to see Scripture’s benefit and power. To address this, Davis outlines a general theology for memorising Scripture, expounding verses that command Scripture to be memorised and its benefits, particularly its power to save and sanctify.
An unwillingness to memorise Scripture may reveal a heart that has little love or interest in the word of God.
However, these same verses that illuminate Scripture’s transformational power should not simply be employed to inspire memorisation, but also continuously intertwined with its method. Davis’ book may make someone believe memorising Scripture can be a delight. But his mechanical method will not equip them to delight in memorising Scripture. While an advantage of Davis’ book is its brevity, its failure to provide a more nuanced memorisation method undermines its ability to inspire and equip Christians who aren’t interested in memorising Scripture.
Davis’s method could be improved if it focused on first understanding the truth of each verse and delighting in it. Making the effort to first understand each verse in context, particularly its purpose and how it connects to the next verse, leads us to delight in that verse.
Psalm 119:15-16 reads: “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” This meditative delight in God’s word is the motivation, method and fruit of memorising Scripture (Psalm 1:2, 119:16). At the very least, any memorisation method should emphasise the need to understand and memorise the verse in light of Christ. We are not called to simply rote learn Scripture and let it dwell in us richly but to “let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly” (Col 3:16).
This meditative delight in God’s word is the motivation, method and fruit of memorising Scripture.
Those compelled to memorise Scripture for life must first be captivated by a love for Scripture. The memorisation method should reflect this and be founded on delighting in the word. This will challenge our motivations and constantly direct us back to the fuel of life-long memorisation: delight for Scripture that finds its fulfilment in Christ.
Shot in the Arm
While not definitive, Davis’s methodology is practical enough to launch readers on their memorising journey, where they will become more attuned to the tenors of God’s voice, the variations and patterns of his language, and the structure of his thoughts that find their fulfilment in Christ.
At 72 pages, this compact book is the shot of inspiration needed for all Christians who desire to memorise Scripture.
Perhaps Davis has kept this book so brief because what we need are not more reasons or comprehensive methods to memorise Scripture. We just need someone to encourage us. We need to simply start.
