let not this treasure lie by you neglected

Reading about the life of Jonathan Edwards. His grandson writes of him: "He studied theology, not chiefly in systems or commentaries, but in the Bible." I believe today we have such a tendency to read a commentary about scripture, rather than digesting it ourselves. We are lazy, and it's just too much work to actually study something, ponder it, think of it, and meditate on it. Perhaps this is one of the great blind spots of our generation: that we are satisfied to read someone else's interpretation... someone else's meditation, instead of dwelling on the very words of God, and letting His Spirit teach us. As well thought out as another's words may be, I think we may be missing something completely when we dismiss the study of God's words themselves. As Edward's advised "Be assiduous in reading the Holy Scriptures. This is the fountain whence all knowledge in divinity must be derived. Therefore let not this treasure lie by you neglected." Could it be that we are gaining a head knowledge of Scripture, without the God-inspired revelation that comes from dwelling on His words alone, and for that matter, simply spending time with Him. To put it practically, I wouldn't read an email from my mom about my sister, and feel like I had just conversed with my sister.