In 1808 Napoleon removed Ferdinand VII from the Spanish throne and imprisoned him. According to an account in Illustration Digest, during seven years of solitary confinement Ferdinand’s sole personal possession was a King James Bible. He read it through hundreds of times. When he was finally freed from prison, his jailers discovered that every surface of Ferdinand’s cell was covered with Bible notes that he had scratched into the walls with a small piece of metal: There are 33,214 verses in the Bible. There are 774,746 words. There are 838,380 letters in the New Testament. The writer of the article concludes, “What a tragedy. Ferdinand had a unique opportunity to study the written Word of God for seven years, and yet all he gleaned from his studies was a collection of trivia.”

While I sincerely hope that this was not all he gleaned; that at least by osmosis he gained some measure of personal instruction and encouragement from his effort, it does appear that Ferdinand’s unsanctified mentality led him to use the Bible mainly to avoid boredom.

Others have studied the Word long and diligently to gratify the intellect, to validate claims of superior knowledge, to reinforce self-righteousness, to satisfy curiosity, to create sermons, to prove others wrong. And this misdirection of motivation explains why some can spend so much time in the company of the Word, yet remain unimproved in attitude. It explains why so much energy devoted to study of the Word does not change the values and redirect the goals of some, and why knowing the Word does not always make us nicer people to live with.

Scripture itself informs us as to the only motive to Bible study that honors the purpose of God’s word and the only motive that will satisfy the needs of the student. It says that the objective of studying the Bible is to strengthen our personal relationship with God and man, and to make us more effective in service (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17).

If the primary purpose of our study is not to bring our own hearts and lives under subjection of the Holy Spirit; if it is not to transform our disposition and character so that Christ can minister unhindered in us, we have little reason to criticize Ferdinand!