How To Read The Bible: Lesson Three - the Prophets

LESSON THREE – FIRST TESTAMENT
How to Read the Writings & Prophets 

History      Poetry          Prophets
Joshua             Job                      Isaiah            Amos
Judges             Psalms               Jeremiah       Joel
Ruth                Proverbs            Ezekiel          Hosea
Samuel            Song                  Daniel            Micah
Kings              Ecclesiastes       Haggai          Zephaniah
Chronicles      Lamentations     Zechariah      Habakkuk
Ezra                                           Malachi        Obadiah
Nehemiah                                                        Jonah
Esther                                                               Nahum

In our Protestant Bibles our Old Testament Books are gathered together in three main categories: History, Poetry, and Prophets. But the Hebrew Scriptures are clustered together under different headings: Torah, Prophets, Writings (Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim) known as Tanakh). It's important to note that the core element of the Tanakh is the Torah. Everything that the prophets speak and write are connected to the life of Israel and Torah. And all the writings are Israel's story of themselves in relation to God and Torah and themselves.

What Are You Reading?
Genre of literatures in the Bible:
Myth      Poetry      Biography
Narratives      Genealogy      Letters
Lawcodes      Wisdom       Apocalyptic
Songs      Prophecy      History

Again, it is helpful to be able to identify what kind of literature you are reading when you open up to a book in the Bible. Becoming familiar with the different styles of writing and genres will help you better understand what you are reading.

Chronology
1400BC  1100BC  1000BC  701BC  586BC  516BC  479BC  466BC  450BC
Joshua Judges/Ruth     Samuel Kings Chronicles                        Esther    EZRA    NEHEMIAH
Job                                       Psalms Proverbs Songs Ecclesiastes Lamentations
                                                         Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel
                                                         Amos Joel Hosea Micah Zephaniah Habakkuk
                                                                   Obadiah Jonah Nahum
                                                                                HAGGAI ZECHARIAH            Malachi

A chronology can be helpful in piecing together the flow of the story. With all the names and places that are stuffed into each book, it can become overwhelming. But to see the history laid out through the ordering of the books can help you get a sense of who comes where in the story. Moses comes before David. David comes after Abraham. Noah comes before Daniel.

Above you can see the history books laid out in order of chronology. Below that you can see where the poetry books fit in. Psalms were primarily written by King David. Proverbs, Songs, Ecclesiastes were written by King Solomon. The next three lines show where the prophets fit into the chronology. Isaiah and Jeremiah worked during the history recorded in Kings and Chronicles. Same for some of the other minor prophets.


Understanding What You Are Reading
History: Ideology & Theology
It is important to remember that the history recorded here is about kings, thus political in nature. But it is also about God's involvement in their nation, thus it is theological. The writers of Israel's ancient history have a particular slant they mean to convey about themselves, their kings, and God. We may read a history book as a boring collection of facts and figures. But the ancients did not record history in the same way as us. We want to ask: did it really happen this way? They want to ask: how to make sense of what has happened to us? We read the history books in order to get an accurate accounting of what really happened. But we ought to read the history books of the Bible as a way to understand their perspective on God, their political situations, and themselves.

Poetry: Parallelism or Binary Repetition
For us, a good English or American poem will rhyme, and have a beat or metre to it. By now you probably know that good Hebrew poetry is very different. It consists in its most basic form of two lines, or two ideas. The first and second line have a interdependent connection - they parallel each other in specific ways. This can become a very complex, high form of art. But once we get the hang of how the Hebrews do poetry, we then need to ask: how to understand Hebrew poetry. Part of it is practice - just read lots of it. But the other part delves into the heart of poetry - why use poetry at all to express yourself? And what were the metaphors, ideas, and issues that were important to the ancient Hebrews?

Prophecy: the words of a Prophet - from God or to God – about righteousness, justice/judgment, shalom
We tend to think of prophecy as about predicting future events. This is not a helpful way to think of Biblical prophecy. At its most basic form, Biblical prophecy is a word for God or mostly from God to people through a prophet of God. Mostly it's about calling people to repentance from their unobservance of Torah. Some of it is promise of restoration following the punishment that will come for their unrighteousness, injustice, disobedience. A little bit is about what will happen in the future.


History
From the Exodus to the Kings
-Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel

During the Reign of the Kings
- Kings, Chronicles

From the Kings to the Exile
-Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

These are the three main elements of understanding Biblical history for ancient Israel. The books fall into one of these three categories. You can see the development of the plot, the flow of the characters, the coming tragedy.


Poetry
There are three basic kinds of poems:
1) Line A and Line B repeat similar idea using key words/ideas
- Examples: Psalm 22:1, Proverb 27:2, Isaiah 55:1

2) Line A is extended in thought by Line B
- Examples: Psalm 23:1, Proverb 28:3, Isaiah 56:1

3) Line A is contrasted in thought by Line B
- Examples: Proverb 28:1, Isaiah 54:7, Isaiah 57:16-21


Prophecy
Here are examples - often expressed in poetry - of God speaking to Israel through his prophets.
From God to the unrighteous: Micah 1
From God to the righteous: Zechariah 9-10

From the righteous to God: Habakkuk 1

From God to Israel: Jeremiah 2
From God to Egypt, Edom, Assyria, Babylon, etc.: Amos 1, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum

Expose The Evil Behind The Pretensions

John 7-9

Why did Jesus get killed? He was a nice guy. Taught people to love. Always told the truth. Healed people. Fed the hungry. Welcomed the lonely and alienated. A friend to all. What's to hate about a man like that?

Jesus intentionally provoked the religious and political leaders by exposing the evil behind their pretensions. What was behind the Pharisees objections to healing on the Sabbath? Why did they hate Jesus for being a Sabbath-breaker? Why did they protest his dining with tax-collectors and prostitutes? Was it truly a concern for purity? When Jesus taught Torah in the Temple, what got the other teachers of the law all riled up?

Jesus came to save Israel. This is a very political statement. He came to save them from Rome, much like Isaiah came to save Israel from Assyria. The reason that Assyria and Rome were brutalizing Israel was connected to failure to keep Torah - as outlined in the punishment sections of Deuteronomy. If Israel would repent and seek forgiveness of their sins, then God would hear their prayers and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. He would heal their wounds and make shalom prevail.

Jesus came with this message, from God, as the Son of God. And part of his work to save Israel was to expose the evil behind the pretensions. Just as Jeremiah was unable to convince the kings of Israel to repent and save their nation, so Jesus failed with the High Priest and Sanhedrin.

If Jesus were to come to America today, he would do similar work of exposing the evil behind the pretensions. What do you think would happen to Jesus if he always told the truth about people and situations in the USA? About our military? About our economy? About our culture? About our churches? About our faith?

In Jesus' work of revealing the Father to people, of healing them, and forgiving sins - he would undermine the authority of those with power and prestige. The more Jesus taught from Torah and expounded on the Great Commandments to Love God and Love Neighbor - the more enemies he would make. Jesus would destroy our illusions about how well we love. He would blow up our cover ups and deceptions with his truth-full observations. His gentle yet unyielding holiness would reveal our filthiness - and for those that prided themselves on purity, they will be enraged.

Jesus, if he showed up today, would only be able to get a few followers. Who are the tax-collectors of our day? Who are the prostitutes of our day? Who are the blind, lame, diseased, dying of our day? Who are the outcasts and judged ones of our day? They would get most of Jesus' attention, and give the most affection. How well would you tolerate Jesus' intense presence of love? How well would you receive Jesus' focused word of truth? Would he humble you or harden you?

It Only Takes A Spark

James 3

When it comes to being a teacher, an instructor, a mentor, a life-coach, a trainer, a preacher, a parent - there comes a moment when you have to open your mouth and say something. Whatever comes out has the capacity to build up or cause wreckage. Beware opening your mouth! "It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that."

James was the Bishop of Jerusalem, overseeing the thousands of Christians that lived in the city and the surrounding region. He worked with hundreds of pastors and teachers who led small house churches in the area. One of his primary works as a bishop was to help develop pastors and teachers so that they could more fruitfully care for and guide their congregations. Being a good Jew, James boils it all down to wisdom. 

For those that aspired to be a teacher or preacher, James warned them against it. Wisdom was so essential to being a good teacher and pastor - and not enough men and women showed it with their life to qualify. The evidence was in the brackish words that flowed out of their mouths, the mean-spirited ambition that dripped off their words.

But it's not just teachers and pastors, nor candidates for that kind of ministry, that need to beware what comes out of their mouth. Anyone who is a follower of Jesus must reign in their tongue. "By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the world world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell." 

Our words matter - they are a form of action. James goes on to point out, though, that our actions without words matter more. On this point he lifts up again the value of wisdom: "Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts."

It boggles the mind how a mouth can sing praises to God on Sunday morning and then be mumbling curses by the afternoon. How can a Christian encourage a friend at church but then bad-mouth a relative later in the day? We all do it, though. "Cursings and blessings out of the same mouth? My friends, this can't go on!"

If God is convicting you over the mean or self-serving words that have been coming out of your mouth, then listen to your conscience and make the change. Your words are sparks that are setting off forest fires. God is always prompting you towards wisdom - in your home, your church, your work, your school, your neighborhood, with family and friends. Wisdom can set off it's own sparks, though - the kind of fire that warms and attracts, not destroys.

Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. 

You can develop healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and respect.

What He Promised

Genesis 21-30

When ancient Israelites shared their story of where they came from, what stories did they tell around the campfires? They focused on the story of Abraham, on Isaac, and Jacob. In the years to come, God would identify himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God would make promises to each of them - and what we get is the stories of what happened. To know their stories is to better understand God and the heritage of Israel.

In these chapters we get provocative stories of very human people from a very ancient culture. These characters are not what we would call good role models. But then these stories are not in the Bible in order to help you be a better person - they are here because they are the story of Israel's origins, the story of God and his promises at work in our world. If God can use them for good in the world, then the good news is, he can use you too!

The temptation may be to read these stories and focus on what you don't understand, or to observe how it is so foreign and different to how we do things. Maybe you'll protest at how God works to keep his promises. But another approach to the Scriptures here is to let them teach you about the culture back then. The characters are fully immersed in their ancient Mediterranean culture. They are wealthy, they have many slaves, and often multiple wives. God worked within the culture that existed. And he was pretty good at it. And still is.

Note in chapter 23 an exceptional example of bartering. Note the formal language, how the two sides come to an agreement of purchasing the burial plot. The back and forth, the phrasing, the exchange is classic Middle-eastern bartering. In chapter 24 is an interesting example of how a wealthy man might seek to arrange a marriage for his oldest son. Other issues that emerge in the following chapters include that of favoritism, the privileges and rights of the firstborn son, the deceit and trickery of tribal leaders, and the powerful desire among wives to have sons.

Let these stories teach you about an ancient culture - and how God worked to keep his promises in that culture. But humanity hasn't really changed all these years later - can you see any of yourself in any of these characters? Take courage - God is still clever and brilliant and capable. If he can use Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob, then he can use you to keep his promise to bless the world.

What's The Point Of Life?

Job 3-4

It is a gift to put words to the churning emotions within. It is the core essence of humanity to express in eloquence what is violently swirling in our souls. Life has a way of upending our days, of wrecking our homes, of battering our hearts. The unexpected. The unacceptable.

The ancient poem of the Hebrew Scriptures that we call Job is a fount of eloquent wisdom on experiencing devastating suffering. Chapters one and two give the context, provide the background story, create the initial tension in the story. Chapter three is Job's first major utterance following the days of mourning. Chapter four is the initial response by one of Job's friends.

And this will be the pattern in this book - Job makes a speech, one of his friends rebukes him. Job maintains his innocence and protests mightily against God for allowing this suffering. Job's friends maintain that Job is not innocent and that God is just for punishing him.

Job whispers:

Why does God bother giving light to the miserable,
  why bother keeping bitter people alive,
Those who want in the worst way to die, can can't,
  who can't imagine anything better than death,
Who count the day of their death and burial
  the happiest day of their life?
What's the point of life when it doesn't make sense,
  when God blocks all the roads to meaning?

And friend Eliphaz responds:

Think! Has a truly innocent person ever ended up on the scrap heap?
  Do genuinely upright people ever lose out in the end?
It's my observation that those who plow evil
  and sow trouble reap evil and trouble.
One breath from God and they fall apart,
  one blast of his anger and there's nothing left of them.

Can you identify with Job's despair? Do you agree with Eliphaz's point of veiw?
Maybe you need to read Job to help put into words what you have been feeling in your heart.

How To Read the Bible: Lesson Two - Torah

LESSON TWO – FIRST TESTAMENT
Get To Know Your Torah

Also known as: Pentateuch, Books of Moses, the Law

Torah means: instruction, to teach, law

Made of five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Grounding of Jewish identity – both ethnic and religious.

Read it as ancient Israel’s history of where they came from, who they are, and why they exist.

Read it also as ancient Israel’s account of God, their relationship with him, their big stories of him, of God’s work in the world through them.

Remember: what you are reading is ancient literature - it is born out of an ancient culture, ancient traditions, ancient way of life. It all made logical, reasonable sense then for how they understood the universe, the workings of society, the purpose and meaning of existence. We benefit when we try to read their literature from their point of view. This is hard, but very rewarding.


What Are You Reading?
Genre of literatures in the Bible:
Myth, Poetry, Narratives, Genealogy, Lawcodes, Wisdom, Songs, Prophecy, Apocalyptic, History, Biography, Letters

Remember: when reading through Torah, you want to be able to distinguish what genre a certain paragraph, a certain story, a certain section is. It will help you ascertain the purpose of that piece, as well as how to understand it and why it is significant to the book. For practice, pick Genesis 1-11 and see how many genres are used? Or Numbers 14-21.


Understanding What You Are Reading
The Bible is like a library and each “book” stands by itself, and yet some are connected. Each “book” needs to be understood on its own merits, including what genres are included in it. But then each “book” needs to be understood with the other “books” that it is connected with in that section, as well as to the history and the story.

Remember: a helpful way to read a book in the Bible is to first skim it. Each modern translation usually has an italicized heading at the beginning of each chapter, or of a long paragraph in the middle of a chapter. By skimming over these headings, you can get a sense of what is in the book, of it's layout. Unfortunately, none of the books in the Bible have a table of contents, nor is their a summary paragraph on the front page. Get a study Bible, you will have some of this information, and it will be very helpful to you. But it is also very helpful to do the overview yourself.

Below is a brief summary of major sections in each book, or I've highlighted especially important chapters in those book as it relates to the life and teachings of Jesus. You can create your own summary and breakdowns of each book in the Torah - it will help you grasp the amount of content in it, the arrangement of the material, and will increase your familiarity with the text. And you'll more quickly find the most interesting stories! There are some real gems hidden in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers.

One final note: one of the primary reasons I dig into Torah is to better understand Jesus. He teaches from Torah, quoting it, preaching from it, reinterpreting it. As I read and seek to understand Jesus, I am driven to the texts he read and preached from. Love God? That comes from Deuteronomy 6. Love your neighbor? That comes from Leviticus 19. Jesus as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world? That comes from the Passover story and laws in Exodus and Leviticus. The judgment of God upon Israel? It comes from Deuteronomy. Let your curiosity about Jesus lead you into studying Torah.


Genesis
1-11 Stories of Beginnings
Creation/Fall
Flood
Babel

12-50 Stories of Fathers/Ancestors
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph


Exodus
1-19 Stories of Beginnings Again
20-31 Commands, Laws, Instructions
32-40 Stories of Rebellion, More Instructions


Leviticus
1-18 Instructions on Worship, Offerings, Priestly & National Purity
19 Love Your Neighbor
23 Festival Days
25 Sabbath Year
26 Reward for Obedience
27 Redeeming What Is the LORD’s


Numbers
1-10 Instructions and Stories of Worship Management and Ritual Purity
11-14 Israel Refuses to Enter the Promised Land
15-21 More Instructions for Rituals, More Rebellion Stories
22-24 Balaam
25-36 Stories of Failure, Justice, and More Ritual Instructions


Deuteronomy
5 Ten Commandments
6 Love the Lord Your God
7 Drive Out The Nations
8-11 Remember – Rewards and Punishments
12-30 Remember the Commands
31-34 Final Words Of Moses, and His Death

Heads In Your Bibles

John 4-6

This gospel is unique - it has long, extended sermons by Jesus. Lengthy, interactive teachings with individuals and crowds. Each section is preluded by a very interesting event: The Woman at the Well, The Sickman At Bethesda Pool, Feeding of the Five Thousand. And it's three different audiences: first it is the disciples and some citizens of Samaria, then it is religious leaders in Jerusalem, and then it is disciples and crowds in Galilee.

Included in there is the second sign - the healing of the official's sign. There will be seven signs altogether in this gospel - look for them! Actually there is eight - can you figure out the significance?

A big point that is weaved into these events and stories is the centrality of Jesus to God's work in Israel and the world. Jesus continues to point everything back to himself. He does it without being arrogant or cocky. He wants people to live, to love, to be free from their sins - this is why he has come, if only they will believe him, follow him.

It's really interesting, at one point in his confrontation with the religious leaders, he acknowledges that they constantly have their heads in their Bibles. Jesus points out that they are looking for the key to eternal life - but when Jesus shows up, offering eternal life, they miss the point. Jesus goes out of his way to reiterate: the Scriptures are about me!

So, as you get your head in your Bible, let each major section of Scripture - Torah, the Writings and Prophets, the Gospels, the Letters - teach you more about Jesus. Whether it's the background and history of Jesus' nationality and religion, whether it's the political and economic realities, whether it's the laws and commands, all the Bible helps us understand Jesus.

And Jesus is the one we want to get into our heads, into our hearts. We don't read the Bible just for knowledge of Jesus though, we read it as a way to help us follow Jesus. We follow Jesus by believing him when he says to love God and love our neighbor, to forgive those who sin against us. If reading the Bible doesn't help us love in the way of Jesus, we have missed the forest for the trees.

Kind Mercy Wins

James 2

The brother of Jesus, who is also bishop of Jerusalem, writes with urgency and intensity. This letter of his, it's chock full of wisdom, ethics, some theology, and lots of love. It's an open letter, not addressed to any one person. It's been sent, multiple copies of it, to Jews who are Christians, scattered all over the Roman Empire. Hence the wide-ranging topics covered - not every community of believers - faces the same struggles. And same for you as you work your way slowly through the epistle. 

Whereas in reading through Torah you get a mixture of stories and ritual law, here in the letter from James we get a sermon, a dense listing out of exhortations to keep the faith, how to live out the faith, how to love others, how to deal with adversity. For obvious reasons, this is still a popular letter to read. The chapter divisions were added to it hundreds of years later. When you read it, don't feel obligated to stick to the chapter - focus on paragraphs, or verses, that which encourages, convicts, reveals.

Each chapter is worth reading through several times, slowly. Find the section that seems to speak to you, listen for what the Spirit wants to prick in your heart. And then chew on that verse, that paragraph. Ask God what he wants you to do with what you read. Often times you already know, but you need to spend time talking to Him about it.

In this chapter James is addressing the problem among Christians to look up to the rich and look down on the poor. When it comes to favoritism, those with power and prestige get more attention while those with problems and flaws get looked over. James points out that Jesus came to the down-and-out first - and they replied best to the Gospel. 

And so for us, kind mercy ought to win over judgment. Our faith and our works ought to be seamless when it comes to loving those different from us. You may not be rich, you may not be poor - do not favor the one over the other. However, most people don't have a problem of valuing the poor over the rich.


If you say you love God, then you will love rich people as God does - which means being unimpressed with their wealth and accomplishments. And if you say you love God, then you will love poor people - which means withholding disdain for their situation and predicaments. And if you say you love God, then kind mercy wins through how you deal with each person in your life.

The number of people in America who live at or below the poverty line has drastically increased to 15%. It is estimated that over 20% of the working population is without full-time employment. More people then ever are relying on government subsidies and handouts to get by. Large chunks of the middle-class are becoming part of the ever-swelling working class. Medical bills account for the descent of many. Click here for an interesting article on current poverty in America. It is sad.

Yes, You Laughed

Genesis 16-20

What's the string that runs through all these stories and ties them together? Remember: think genealogy - think stories of people that help explain who they are, where their friendly neighbors come from and their sworn enemies. Where did the Ishmaelites come from? They come from Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah. Because Sarah disbelieved God, because she laughed at his promise to her that she would give birth to a son, she had Abraham sleep with Hagar. This did not work out as planned. There are several layers of meaning to the stories - it's rich in human personality, character flaws, and God's involvement in real life.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah becomes the background story for where the Moabites and Ammonites come from. Along with the Ishmaelites, these three tribes will be perennial enemies to Israel for centuries and centuries to come. According to the Israelites, these three tribes have shameful beginnings - but, ironically, they all have similar ancestors! 

The thread to the story, though, is about the covenant that God makes with Abram and Sarai - and he changes their name to Abraham and Sarah. Why? In the Hebrew language of this story, God inserts the equivalent of the letter H in their name. H came to represent the name of God - he put his name in their name. God inserted himself into Abraham and Sarah's life, chose to bless them, decided to work through them to bless the world. It's not easy work dealing with humanity - we have a tendency to drift towards destruction. But God is always at work - and he is always willing to work in us and through us. Even if you laugh.

Abram the Blessed

Genesis 11-15

It's important to remember when reading Genesis, that it is a collection of stories all hinged upon the revered and famous genealogy of Israel. We don't value genealogies like the ancients did. And we don't tell stories like they did either. Genesis is about the genealogy of Abraham - his sons, their descendants, and the beginning of Israel. The genealogies in the early chapters of Genesis tell us who Abraham descended from, and then the later chapters tell us the story of those that descended from him. 

In these initial chapters about Abraham, we learn a few things: first, his original name is Abram and he is the oldest of a set of triplets. We learn that he is from Ur, a major city near Babel. Abram's father is a sojourner, traveling the traditional route west - heading north in order to not cut through the desert and follow the Fertile Crescent to Canaan. Terah, Abram's father settles in the northern city of Haran - which is where God introduces himself to Abram for the first time.

The significance of these initial chapters swirl around what we learn about God and what we learn about Abraham. We learn about God as he deals with Abram, and we learn about Abram as he reacts to God. Do you ever wonder what it was like to be Abram and meet God for the very first time? What was it like to receive the promise of blessing? The command to sojourn to Canaan and start a new life there? To begin to trust a God you'd never heard of, know nothing about, and has no image you can point to and bow down and worship?

We learn about the important people in Abram's life: his barren wife Sarai, his greedy nephew Lot, his faithful servant Eliezer he picked up in Damascus. We also learn about his nervous character while in Egypt and his conniving nature. When Lot gets captured along with the evil citizens of Sodom, Abram, we learn, has enough servants he can arm to defeat a regional military power. He has become a very powerful, wealthy, feared, and influential man in the promised land.

But: he has no heir, no son, no one to carry on his family seed and fulfill what God had promised. And that is the tension in the story. Blessed but barren. How will God keep his promise with these two old people? Trust and faith and belief become everything. They still are.

God Gives, God Takes

Job 1-2

Why do the righteous suffer so? Why do the evil prosper like they do? Why is their uncontrollable calamity in the world? How do you make sense of it? Where is God in it? What do we do with it? And God?

It's these kind of ancient and modern issues that the book of Job wrestles with. But it is important to note that what we're reading is how the ancient Israelites wrestled with God and evil and suffering and righteousness. It's not very helpful to discuss whether Job was a real person or a fictional character. The point of the story and the poems is the wrestling with the ideas, the realities we as humans deal with.  Ultimately, the book of Job is a carefully crafted wisdom book - authentic instructions and honest ideas on how to deal righteously with suffering.

The story possibly dates before Moses, but after Abraham. There is no mention of Torah, but there is acknowledgment of God. There is no mention of Abraham, but Job kind of sounds like Abraham (eventually he had lots of kids!). Some of the Hebrew is so old that scholars aren't sure how to translate confusing passages.

The book begins and ends with a narrative piece - it sets up the story and wraps it up. But the real meat of the book is in the poetry, the artful and passionate dialogue between Job and his friends. It's important to note that as you track through all that Job has to say, he gets it right most of the time. His friends, as you follow their logic and reactions to Job - well they don't always get it right. This is one of those books where you have to be careful to discern who you are reading - they may be saying something that isn't true of God or humanity!

Again, the classic questions are relevant here: what does this story and poem teach me about God? About humanity? About suffering? About injustice? About evil? About righteousness?  About wisdom? About life? About me? Ask lots of questions as you read. Ask what you would do if you were Job? Consider what you would do if you had friends like Job? What would be your attitude towards God if he seemed to be unjust?

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This Is The One!

John 1-3

This Gospel or "Good News" of Jesus is unlike the other three. There are some similar stories - baptism, miracles, teachings, crucifixion and resurrection. But John includes perspectives and angles and insights into these events from a different point of view. Not only that, but he has a lot of original material. The purpose of this gospel, as John states it is this: "...so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it."

You can see this purpose at work in the first chapters. Chapter 1 includes the declaration that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. Chapter 2 includes the first sign - turning water to wine at a wedding. Chapter 3 includes an invitation to believe and the promise of eternal life. As you read through John, you'll be looking to see how the case is built for why Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, and why he is worth trusting, worth believing in.

It was quite the controversial claim to make that Jesus was the Messiah. Israel was awaiting their "anointed one" to come and save them from the Empires. They wanted their Deliverer to free them from political and economic oppression so that they could be back on top again, like in King David's day. They wanted vengeance for all the terrible atrocities that had been committed against them. They wanted vindication - if we really are the people of God, then when will this benefit us? As you can imagine, there were big expectations for Jesus. 

But more than that, it was outrageous that the disciples of Jesus were proclaiming him as the Son of God. This was blasphemy! This was religiously unacceptable. It was also a political claim. The Caesars had been claiming the title of Saviour, of Son of God, of Prince of Peace. John was putting onto Jesus the title of the Emperors. This was a sure way to attract the spear-point of Rome. And it was a guaranteed way to fuel the wrath of the religious leaders.

We're so used to hearing Jesus referred to as the Son of God and as Christ (Greek for "anointed one") or Messiah (Hebrew for "anointed one"). But John lays out a sophisticated, nuanced, layered, dramatic, compelling, intriguing, memorable gospel for how we can believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and the Messiah. We all start in the dark about God. He comes as the light. What will we do with what he hear, with what we see?

Act On What You Hear

James 1

When you need guidance and direction in life, read this letter from James. Start at chapter one and start reading until he hits a nerve, until he says something startling, until he points out the obvious. There are so many times in life where we're not sure what to do next, not sure what God wants us to do. We then feel the urge to open up our Bible to discover a whiff of God's will for us. The next time this happens, open up to James and read.

Not all books in the Bible offer the same kind of wisdom and guidance. Some come across as more pertinent to our personal lives. James is that kind of letter - it's not a book - it's a heart-felt letter chock full of wisdom written to persuade and convince and instruct and reprimand. Just the kind of letter you need to read. Again. And again. And again.

James is the brother of Jesus. He was once an unbeliever. He was once against Jesus. Even jealous and embarrassed. Can you relate to any of that? James is writing as the Bishop of Jerusalem. The orphans and widows of the city are struggling to survive. Some of the Christians are facing strong opposition to their allegiance to Jesus as the Messiah. There are still Jewish religious leaders and Roman government authorities that are pressuring for conformity to the status quo. James is also a pious and observant Jew. He loves and keeps Torah. He was brother to a prophet - their message he passionately embraced. He whispers the Psalms from memory as he prays, he instructs with the wisdom of the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

It's hard to read a chapter from James - he packs so much intense wisdom and reprimands, so many insights and encouragements. He is a gifted writer with a passion to influence Jewish Christians scattered across the Empire. He writes from a Jewish perspective to Jews who believe that Jesus is Messiah. Jewish Christians under pressure to abandon Jesus, to pursue wealth, to blame God for evil in the world, to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the widows and orphans in their community.

When you read James for direction, you may find you benefit from just a few of the ideas in the chapter. Pick the one or two sentences that stick out to you - that seem to apply to your situation. And then ask yourself what God is wanting you to learn and hear from what James wrote. And then do the very hard work of figuring out what to do next in light of what you hear. For as James makes very clear, it is not enough to just read and hear - we must live and do and act!

This Is The Family Tree Of...

Genesis 1-10

You'll notice in the first bunch of chapters that there are a lot of names. Why all the genealogies? Remember what the name "Genesis" means? Beginning. Genesis is Israel's account of where they came from, of their beginnings. It's a long string of stories attached to their family tree.

The book of Genesis is laid out in ten sections, ten family trees. I'm using the Message version, but if you are using the NIV, then it will be translated "the account of...", or if you are using the ESV it will be translated "the generations of...". Check out these references to see what I mean: Genesis 2:4, 5:1, 6:9, 7:1, 9:12, 10:1, 11:10, 11:27, 25:12, 25:19, 36:1 & 9, 37:2. A genealogy was how you remembered your ancestors - a way to honor them. It was also the root of your identity, and how you understood the other people in your family. A genealogy was a revered set of information - and a source of great stories!

When you're reading through Genesis - especially the first ten chapters - resist the urge to ask: did this really happen? Avoid questioning whether creation or temptation or the flood happened exactly as recorded in Genesis. That line of thinking is a distraction from the purpose of Genesis - stories hinged on the genealogies. It's interesting to note the genealogy in chapter 5 - no mention of Cain or Able. It's also worth noting in the flood story the reason behind Noah's name - and it's connection to God's blessing when the earth is dried. How does that shape our understanding of this terrible, devastating, ugly story?

One last thing: the genealogies about Shem, Ham, and Japheth reveal a lot about how Israel viewed their neighbors and enemies. Ham was the father of their enemies (Canaan, Egpyt, Babel, etc), while Japheth was the father of their good neighbors. When you're sitting around the campfire, and your little boys ask about where the marauding caravans come from, you go back through the genealogy, explain how you are connected to them, but how they are cursed. Makes for dramatic storytelling at midnight!

Remember to ask: what do these stories teach me about Israel, their beginnings, and about how they understood God.

God Saw That It Was Good

Genesis 1-3

How did ancient Israel understand where they came from? What were the stories they told about where the world came from? How did they explain the origins of humanity? Why was the world the way it was? How to account for good and evil in the world? And where does their God fit in to life as they know it?

The book of Genesis is about beginnings (that's what the name means). "In the beginning, God...." Genesis begins with a poem - a very startling poem when compared to the myths of other ancient cultures.  Typically creation stories are full of chaos, fantastic heros and gigantic monsters, there are swords and battles, destruction and mayhem, conquering and upheaval. Israel's story is much more... orderly, designed, lovingly crafted. Consider that the story of where you come from shapes your sense of who you are and your destiny in the world. What does the Creation Poem reveal to you about how ancient Israel understood their God, their world, their place in it?

The poem is followed by two stories - the first is the classic, "Dad, where did I come from?" The second story is the necessary accounting for why terrible things happen. It's how ancient Israel explained the core realities of their life. They carefully crafted these stories to communicate powerful ideas that would shape their identity, their work in the world, and their relationship with surrounding tribes. Again, it helps to compare these two stories with that of other ancient civilizations. The contrast would be apparent - there is purpose and direction in Israel's stories. It reveals the involvement of the One God, not the petty squabbling and bloodthirsty ravages of many gods and goddesses.

As you reflect on these first three chapters, it's vital to ask: what does this poem and two stories reveal about God and humanity? What is God like? How are we still like the humans in this story? The debates often rage about whether these stories are true. It's more helpful to consider how these stories are still true for us: it's a good world, cursed; men and women still strive and struggle, still procreate and provide for each other; God gives and takes away, judges and disciplines, loves and blesses.

God Charts The Road You Take

Psalm 1 

When you read the psalms, remember they are prayers that are sung. You know when you read the lyrics to a song, and then you hear the song - big difference! So it is with the psalms - the ancient hymns of Israel. If you are musically inclined, you can put your own tune to each psalm.

When you read the psalm, try praying the psalm. Don't read it to "get something out of it." Read it as a prayer - as your prayer. This can be a odd exercise - usually you use your own words when whispering out your prayers. But then most people I know have a hard time knowing what to say when they do pray. And this is why the psalms are so helpful to us - they give us new words, new ideas, new patterns, new depths for our praying to God. It's a way for God to chart the road you are taking.

Make the psalm personal. Let it shape you and how you think about God. Let it probe you and disturb you. Mull over why the psalter wrote out this prayer - consider what his circumstances may have been. If the word "king" shows up in the song, you'll know that it's probably a royal psalm, connected to politics, national issues, and the monarchy. Israel believed that God would bless their king and nation when he and the people kept Torah with all their heart. The psalms often flow out of this hope - and failure.

When you are praying the psalms, you will find God charting the road you take. So many turns and forks in the road each day - may God be the one to prompt you left, nudge you right, keep you straight. May you invest much time into God's Word, and may it bring forth in you a fruitfulness and vibrancy that adds life to those around you.

As you learn how to pray the psalter, may you take the road God charts for you.

How To Read the Bible: Lesson One

How To Read the Bible 

– And Get Something Out of It!

A Five-Week Series – 8:30-9:30pm, Anchor Community Church

Lesson One – Get To Know Your Bible

What Are You Reading? 
Understanding What You Are Reading.

An introduction to how the Bible is put together, the details that make for significant impact in how to understand what you are reading. We'll do an overview of how it is layed out, what that means, and how to use that knowledge to your advantage. We'll spend the next two weeks examining the Old/First Testament - the genres used, the flow of history and the story, and then we'll do the same in the final two weeks with the New Testament. We'll learn the major differences between the two testaments, between the five sections, the many genres of literature, as well as how they are all connected. It will help you put into perspective what you are reading. It will help inform you of how you can use the Bible to teach yourself, encourage yourself, and challenge yourself.

Lesson Two –  First Testament

How to Read the Torah

Lesson Three – First Testament

How to Read the Writings & Prophets (Hebrew Poetry)

Lesson Four – New Testament

How to Read the Gospels

Lesson Five – New Testament

How to Read the Letters (of Paul, Peter, James, John, Jude)

***************************

Lesson One –

Get To Know Your Bible

It's a complicated book that ought to be approached with respect and care. To disregard it's depths is to cheapen what it has to contribute. To be overwhelmed by its complexity is to avoid the hard work of gaining understanding. By coming to terms with the broad scope of what is the Bible, you can begin to appreciate why it is hard to read and make sense of and apply to daily life. Beware reading the Bible! It will change your life.

How many “books” in the Bible? 66  [39 + 27]

The books are divided into two sections called: testaments or covenants

Testament/covenant are both legal terms and relational terms. 

The first section has three parts: Torah, Prophets, Writings

Torah is first five books, Prophets are the final 17 books, and the writings are the other 17 books. 

The second section has two parts: Gospels, Letters

Gospels make up the first five books, the Letters make up the final 22. 

Who are some of the authors of these books?

Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter, Jude.

When/Where were these books written?

Oral origins/ Scrolls – 2000BC thru 100AD; Israel, Egypt, Babylon, Rome, Asia Minor

Who put them all together?

Rabbi’s collated OT by around 70AD

Patriarchs collated NT around 200AD

The decision making process about what to include and exclude was a very messy process. We believe that God's Spirit was intricately involved - but it was also a very human project. Kinda like Jesus. 

Why so many different translations?

Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek; manuscripts

There is no one document in Hebrew or one in Greek that we translate into English. Thousands of manuscripts are pieced together to create the Bible. Thousands of scholars from around the world have worked for hundreds of years - a whole science is built around piecing these manuscripts together. This shouldn't prompt you to question the validity of the Scriptures, but rather to reveal what a labor of love it is to put together the Bible.


What Are You Reading?

What kind of “books” make up the Bible?

Or: What are you reading if they are not “books?”

We think of "book" in a very modern sense. But Genesis is not a typical book. Neither is Leviticus. Or Job. Or Matthew. Or Romans. Their style of writing, their purpose of writing, their authors, their audience, their content don't always match our expectations for modern media. It's important to read a Bible "book" for what it is, not what we want it to be.

Genre of literatures in the Bible:

Myth

Poetry

Narratives

Genealogy

Lawcodes

Wisdom

Songs

Prophecy

Apocalyptic

History

Biography

Letters

Here's an example of why it's important to understand the type/genre of literature you are reading when you study your Bible: In Genesis 1-6, you have myth, poetry, narrative, genealogy, song, prophecy, history, and biography. Being able to intelligently sort out how the author is using the genre's will greatly increase your ability to understand what you are reading. Reading a long list of names is boring, unless you understand the purpose of a genealogy. Do you enjoy reading poetry in English? If not, you might struggle with what to do with Hebrew poetry in the Bible. Can you appreciate a really good story? Do you know how to draw insights from a carefully crafted narrative? What is the purpose of a myth, and how does it get used to transmit truth?

Another example would be the first four chapters of Luke: history, biography, narrative, songs, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, apocalyptic, lawcode. Whew! That's a lot to pack into such a brief amount of content. Can you see how Luke weaves his words and ideas and styles together to capture the readers attention and communicate truth? Also, are you able to pick out where Luke uses ideas and quotes from the Old Testament in his writings? Can you point out the significance of where he pulls his ideas and quotes from in the Old Testament? See - there is so much more to learn about the Bible, there is so much more to understand! Don't see it as daunting, though - let your curiosity drive you. We understand God's word to be to us, for us, and even sometimes about us - and he intentionally uses a myriad of styles of literature to make his point. Appreciate it. Respect it. Engage it.

Understanding What You Are Reading

The Bible is like a library and each “book” stands by itself, and yet some are connected. Each “book” needs to be understood on its own merits – what genres are included in it. But then each “book” needs to be understood with the other “books” that it is connected with in that section, as well as to the history and the story.

* Understanding the two testaments – how are they connected? 
The New Testament builds on the First Testament. 

* Understanding the five sections – how are they connected?
Everything flows from the Torah. The Writings? All written by and to people of Torah. Wisdom is from living life under Torah. Poetry is about the power of Torah. The Prophets are all preaching about obedience to Torah. Jesus in the Gospels came to fulfill Torah. Paul writes about how to live by Torah as understood through Jesus. 

* Understanding the genres - and how are they used?

Why is most of the Bible written in poetry? Why doesn't God give us bullet points about what he wants from us? 

* Understanding the flow of history – how are the people and events connected?
Who are the main characters we read about - how do their events and experiences flow together? What else happened in history that sheds light on the Bible? 

* Understand the point of the story – and how are we connected to it?
Why have these stories about God and Israel and Jesus and the disciples? Where is this story going? Where do we fit into it?