A while back, the clue on Jeopardy was “Jezebel’s husband.” None of the three contestants knew that the answer was King Ahab. About that same time, I was doing a crossword puzzle, and the clue was Samuel’s teacher. I happened to know that Eli was Samuel’s mentor. But it got me to thinking about how little the average American knows about the Bible.

A Gallup poll in the 90’s concluded that only half of the adults nationwide could name ANY of the four gospels. That same survey found that only 42% could name even 5 of the 10 commandments. The Barna Research Group reports that 12% of American adults believe that Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc. And 75% believe that “God helps those who help themselves” (a quote from Benjamin Franklin, not the bible).

In years past, the American education system was centered on the study of God’s Word. In the early days of our country, a child learned to read from the pages of scripture. Bible stories were commonly known and discussed in polite society. Writers drew inspiration from biblical characters.

Go back a bit further in history and consider how many references there are to the Bible within the pages of Shakespeare’s writing. God is mentioned in 30 of his 37 plays, for a total of over 700 times. Countless references, allusions and paraphrases of scripture can be found in his work. The pages of his work are so saturated with God’s Word that Shakespeare’s writings were referred to as the “Lay Bible.”

So, what has happened? 92% of Americans claim to own a Bible. They may own one, but they do not seem to know what’s in it! Truth is, we are more likely to be able to quote endless lines from a movie or rattle off song lyrics with ease than to know even the most rudimentary things about God’s Word.

Maybe this next week is a great opportunity to consider the words of II Timothy 2:15 where we are told to study and “present ourselves to God, as one approved, a workman that does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the Word of truth.”

Let’s start studying God’s Word with some serious intent. Choose a plan (YouVersion Bible has dozens of plans to choose from), set a schedule (the summer months really do lend themselves to more study time) and start TODAY!

“Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee”-Psalm 199:11

 (And maybe it will help you at Jeopardy too!)