The longest complete single volume often read by believers is Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace at roughly 1,225 pages and 587,000 words, while within the Bible itself, the individual book with the highest word count is Jeremiah at over 33,000 words
Here’s a list of the ten longest books of the Bible. This is going by word count in the original languages (not any English translation of the Bible). I referenced the Lexham Hebrew Bible for OT books and the NA27 for NT books, and here’s what I got:
Notice anything interesting? The entire top-10 list of longest books in the Bible are all Old Testament books! Four of the five books of the Torah are here, all three major prophets are present, and even one book of poetry made it into the top 10.
So Jeremiah is the longest book of the Bible, right? Sure, if we’re going by modern books and their arrangements. This count is a little deceptive, though. Several books of the Old Testament are actually volumes of a larger original work. Why?
Because scrolls.
For example, First Samuel and Second Samuel were originally just Samuel. But back then, you wrote these kinds of stories on scrolls: and Samuel was just too long to reasonably fit on one. So they split it up into parts one and two.
New Creation: John sees a new heaven and a new earth, as the first heaven and earth have passed away and the sea is no more.
God’s Dwelling: The holy city, New Jerusalem, comes down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride.
No More Pain: God will dwell with his people, wipe away every tear, and end death, mourning, crying, and pain.
The Promise: The one seated on the throne declares “I make all things new,” offering the water of life freely to the thirsty.
The Warning: The cowardly, unbelieving, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars will have their part in the lake of fire, which is the second death.
Revelation 21:1-8 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.””
In these last days; deception WILL come! When Satan tempted Jesus, he used Scripture!
The Bible warns that severe deception will characterize the last days, and Satan famously twisted Scripture during his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
Warnings of Deception in the Last Days
Matthew 24:24: False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen people.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11: The lawless one will come with the power of Satan, false wonders, and wicked deception, accompanied by a strong delusion for those who reject the truth.
2 Timothy 3:13: Evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. [1]Satan’s Use of Scripture
The Wilderness Test (Matthew 4:5-7, Luke 4:9-12): During the second temptation, Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and quoted Psalm 91:11–12, urging Jesus to throw Himself down.
The Tactic: Satan omitted part of the verse (“to guard you in all your ways”) and misapplied the text to test God rather than trust Him.
Jesus’ Response: Jesus countered the misuse of God’s Word with correct scriptural application from Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Almighty God we worship Your Essence! We honor this day for Who You and what You do. What a great God You are. Heaven and Earth adore You. Angels bow before You. We praise You!
We thank You for this new day and this week that You have caused our eyes to see. Blessed Redeemer we exalt You.
Thank You for Your grace in our lives, our testimonies to Your glory, Father. Thank You because we know that what You began, You will also complete. We Honor You Father.
Thank You for Your MIGHTY hands in our midst. For all the testimonies we are blessed with, we return the glory to You.
And for so much more that You are doing already, we give You praise.
Dear God, thank You for Your grace and for a Love that never gives up on me, even when I struggle with the same things over and over again. Your Word in Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” God, help me walk in the Spirit today and not give in to what my flesh wants. Forgive me for the excuses I’ve made for sin and for the habits that have taken root in my life. I’m leaning on Your grace right now, knowing that when I’m weak, You are strong. I’m giving You every old habit, every old way of thinking, and asking You to break my connection to all of it. I’m a new creation, and today I’m choosing to chase after You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Meaning and Context
The Speaker: The Lord Jesus is speaking to the Apostle Paul.
The Situation: Paul asked God three times to remove a physical hardship or trial (his “thorn in the flesh”).
The Lesson: God provided sufficient grace instead of removing the struggle, demonstrating that human weakness highlights divine strength. [1, 2, 3]
I am touched by sheer pain and agony! To cry before The LORD allowing a temple priest to have never in all his years seen anything like it! Hannah is the woman in the Bible who wept so bitterly over her barrenness that the high priest, Eli, had never seen anything like it and thought she was drunk!
The Story of Hannah’s Agony
The Deep Pain: Hannah was deeply distressed because she could not have children. Her pain was worsened by her husband’s other wife, Peninnah, who taunted her constantly about it.
The Prayer at the Temple: During an annual family trip to the tabernacle at Shiloh, Hannah threw herself before the LORD. She was weeping uncontrollably and praying silently in her heart—her lips were moving, but no sound came out.
The Priest’s Reaction: Eli the priest was sitting nearby and watching her. Because he had never seen anyone pray with such silent, intense agony, he assumed she was intoxicated and rebuked her, saying, “How long will you stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
The Resolution: Hannah corrected him, explaining she was pouring out her soul to God from deep grief. Eli then blessed her, saying, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” God later answered her prayer, and she gave birth to Samuel.
Sarah also suffered greatly from barrenness in the Book of Genesis, but her story involves laughing in disbelief when told she would have a child in her old age, rather than the specific temple scene with the priest. I will note here that God sees and knows all things!
Sarah laughed silently to herself when she overheard that she would bear a son at 90 years old.
The Story in Genesis 18
The Promise: Three divine visitors told Abraham that Sarah would have a son by the next year.
The Reaction: Sarah laughed inwardly because both she and Abraham were very old and past the age of childbearing.
God’s Response: The Lord asked Abraham why Sarah laughed! (God sees and knows all things!) And stated, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” We can go endlessly on about this!
The Denal: Out of fear, Sarah initially denied that she had laughed.
The Fulfillment: Sarah later gave birth to Isaac, whose name means “he laughs,” turning her doubt and barrenness into pure joy.
The Bible teaches that God understands your inner thoughts, actions, and hidden struggles far better than you know yourself. This profound truth is explored in detail by reflections like the one on Wisdom Hunters.
What God Knows
Your Daily Life: He knows when you sit down and when you stand up.
Your Thoughts: He knows what you think before you even say a word.
Your Pain: He sees the hidden hurt and silent tears that others miss.
Why This Brings Comfort
You Are Never Alone: Even when people misunderstand you, God knows the real you.
Grace and Growth: He does not use His knowledge to shame you, but to guide and free you.
Safe Surrender: You can give your worries and confusion to Him because He already understands them.
You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. (NIV)
Psalm 139:1-4
The Bible reminds us over and over again of the comfort and peace that comes from being known and Loved by God. We are truly known and perfectly loved, even more clearly and truly than we know and love ourselves! In fact, it is often quite difficult for us to know ourselves well, to discern clearly our longings, needs, and deepest desires.
Simply put, what we think we need and actually need is not always one in the same. This is especially true in times of pain or suffering. We want to flag Jesus down and say, “Come over here! I’m hurting and need you to fix this right now!” And Jesus does want to heal us and comfort us, yet he desires to heal our deepest longings and truest needs, and does so even if we don’t know what that need is.
In the medical field, doctors often talk about treating the underlying issue rather than simply focusing on the presenting symptom. I wonder if this is true of our spiritual lives as well? Could it be that Jesus, the Great Physician, wants to free us from our sorrow and pain, yet does so by working his healing into the core of our very being? And in light of this, what does it mean for us to be calm in the midst of chaos, peaceful in the most unlikely of places?
Since God knows us better than we even know ourselves, we are free to take a deep breath, open our hands, and with humble hearts say to God, “Even in the midst of chaos and great pain, I trust that You know my deepest need. So I won’t try and run past You or tell You what’s best. I choose to instead acknowledge my limitations and weakness, trusting that You are always working for my good.”
In the mystery and beauty of God’s wisdom, instead of simply erasing pain and brokenness, He heals it by taking it upon Himself and transforming it in the process. We see this perfectly and powerfully on the cross as Jesus takes death upon Himself so that through it He can speak life and victory.
Take heart today and trust that the thing in your life that feels like it might be your undoing can instead be something you offer to God for healing and restoration. Though it may seem improbable or even impossible, nothing is too great for a God Who knows you better than you know yourself!
Prayer
Father, thank You that You know us and Love us perfectly. Teach us to trust You in every situation and circumstance, believing that You work it for our good and Your glory. Amen.
Application What trial are you facing that you need to hand over to God with an open hand, trusting in His goodness and care for you?
