A fellow pastor recently asked me what I was preaching. After I told him that I was preaching through the whole book of Isaiah, he laughed. “Whoa! Good for you! I could never do that!”
I imagine my brother isn’t alone. Preaching through longer books of the Bible does seem like an impossible task for busy pastors. But contrary to what this brother’s response implied, a commitment to preaching through the Bible’s longest books isn’t only for über-pastors, if such a humorous fiction actually existed. Instead, it arises from a simple conviction that every pastor should share: Faithful expository preaching aims to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), which includes preaching through the longest books in the Bible.
To this end, I hope the following eight “tips” will help preachers delight in the Scriptures as they prepare to preach—and persevere!—through its biggest books.
1. Before you start, read, re-read, and re-re-read the entire book.
Long before preaching through a long book of the Bible, read and re-read the entire book. The longest books in the Bible take two to three hours to read from beginning to end. You can avoid overwhelming yourself by starting several months in advance
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