It’s kind of funny to me that I always seem to need to read the passages twice.  The first time seems to be just an opportunity to set the stage.  Hmm …or cleanse the palate.  Like at a wine tasting.  When you’re tasting wine, proper etiquette is to take a sip, swish it around and swallow it.  This just cleans your mouth out to prepare it to savour the wine.  Then you take a sip and hold it in your mouth.  You swish it around, letting it go all over the tongue so every taste bud can experience it.  Then you cup your tongue, holding the wine in the curve of your tongue, and gently ‘sip’ air through your lips so the air passes over the wine.  The air mingling with the wine allows all the rich flavours to awaken and increases your perception, deepening your enjoyment of the wine.  Wow!  Scripture reading is just like that.  Rinse your mind first with a read-through.  Then go back again and hold the words in your head for a while.  Let the breath of the Spirit mix with the wine of the words to increase your perception and enjoyment.  Cool!  Cheers!