I used to think the New Testament was the most important part of the message of the Bible. I felt the Old Testament was really kind of irrelevant to my life today.
Christianity is all about Jesus, right? And Jesus is in the New Testament.
The problem, then, was that I struggled to understand the value of even reading the OT. Leviticus seemed downright boring to me. Daniel and Ezekiel just plain weird!
This is the third article of a three-part series on reading about and understanding our place in God’s story. To read the first article, click the link below:
It seemed as if God was different in the OT than he is in the NT. In the OT, God’s kingdom was physical; in the NT God’s kingdom is spiritual.
In the OT God has a lot of wrath and pours out justice; in the NT God is loving and kind and pours out grace.
The more I began to read the Bible as one continuous story, however, the more everything made sense. Jesus truly is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as the author of Hebrews put it (Heb. 13:8). God has always been full of love and grace, and his mercies “new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-24)—even in the OT.
Have you ever been puzzled by Paul’s statement in 2 Timothy 2:13 when he says God remains faithful even if we are faithless because he “cannot deny himself”?
Part of the reason it is puzzling is because Paul indicates in the verses before that God does with us according to our response to him—if we die with him, we will live with him; if we endure, we will reign; if we deny him, he denies us.
So, why does Paul switch it and say even when we are faithless God remains faithful? And what does “cannot deny himself” mean?
Second Timothy is the twelfth-to-last book (of 66 books) in the Bible. One has likely forgotten a lot of what’s been written in the earlier books. Yet, this statement from Paul only makes sense if you’re remembering Genesis 15—and Genesis is the first book.
In fact, the whole rest of scripture is a story revealing how God has fulfilled his covenant to Abraham in Genesis 15—even when Abraham and all those who followed were faithless or forgot God.
Paul is not just making some random, hopeful statement. There is power and authority behind what Paul says because of everything we might be tempted to not read in the OT.
The message of scripture is a beautiful message! But we may miss its beauty unless we read it as one continuous story.
Do you see the beauty of God’s Word? Do you feel confident you know the message God wants humanity to know?
Did you know you can?
Let me give you three practical tips anyone can begin doing right now that will revolutionize your reading and study of scripture.
Tip Number One: Read or Listen to the Message of the Bible According to the Hebrew Canon
I touched on this in my first article, What Is the Bible and Why Should We Read It? The Western (or Christian) Canon, which is how most English translations are organized, begins with Genesis and ends with Malachi. It’s divided into four main parts: the Pentateuch (or law), history, poetry & wisdom, and prophets.
The problem is that the Christian canon was not established until roughly the 5th century. The apostles and authors of the New Testament would have read the Old Testament in a different order than we read them today: the Hebrew Canon.
The Hebrew Canon is divided into three main parts and begins with Genesis and ends with Chronicles (see image below). The three parts are the Torah (law or instruction), Nevi’im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings).
The Torah is God’s law (or perhaps better thought of as instruction) to his people. It’s in these first five books we see the stage set for everything else that unfolds in scripture. We see God’s good creation. We see mankind’s rebellion. And we see God’s initiation of redemption and the promise that he will one day complete it.
The prophets are books that evaluate how faithful Israel and its leaders were to God’s instruction. According to Hebrew understanding, prophecy is not just foretelling things that will come about in the future. It is primarily speaking on behalf of God, evaluating and calling people to the Torah, and then telling of the consequences people will experience according to their faithfulness or unfaithfulness.
The writings are poems and dramas telling stories of those who lived rightly with God or who at least demonstrated a biblical, Torah-driven worldview amidst their circumstances.
In my opinion, the message of God comes alive most clearly when we read it according to how it was originally revealed to mankind, at last as best we can tell.
Tip Number Two: Watch the “Read through the Bible” Bible Project Videos As You Go
The Bible Project is a phenomenal resource for Christians. And it’s free!
They have researched and implemented the best combination of visual illustration, speech, and text for the brain so one can absorb more from a five-minute video than they could from an hour-long lecture. They have a 5 to 8-minute video summarizing each book of the Bible. These videos help bring the books alive and show how they fit into the larger over-all message of scripture.
My wife and I watch these videos as we read through the Bible. Our five and six-year old boys watch them (and take notes!?).
Simply watching a video before you start a particular book of the Bible will in itself revolutionize your scripture reading.
Tip Number Three: Research Some of the History Surrounding the Events and Times of Whatever Section of Scripture You’re Reading
Resources such as Zondervan Atlas of the Bible or Atlas of World History provide fascinating background information to help grasp what the times and events would have been like. Plus, you can trace the demographic evolution of the people of Israel and the world as a whole.
But there are many free resources one could access online, as well, to help get a clearer understanding of what things were like. Understanding background helps “color in” the skeletal outline of history we see throughout scripture.
Here are a few helpful websites you could check out:
- The Bible Timeline
- Bible-History
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- Naked Bible Podcast
- The Bible Project Podcast
Bonus Tip: Read with Others to Discover the Message of the Bible
The Bible is not meant to be a textbook one digs into himself, memorizing its contents. It’s a story. A cosmic message for all of humanity.
The poor have a perspective on what it says that the rich need to hear. Women take certain passages differently than men. Things jump out to new readers of scripture that older readers of scripture tend to overlook.
If you’re struggling to grasp its message and its beauty, read the Bible with others. Ask friends and mentors what they think certain passages mean. Read various resources on topics you bump into as you go through the sixty-six books. This will help broaden your understanding and challenge your bias.
The redemptive work of Christ is inherently communal. It makes sense that understanding his Word would be, too.
Consider Joining the Finding My Place in God’s Story Course
Enrollment for Finding My Place in God’s Story is open! It’s a five-module course that helps you better understand the scriptures and discover how God has gifted you to participate in his restoring work.
If you would like to take your journey to the next level, consider joining me inside this course as we dive into God’s Word and discover its message and our place in it all.
The message of the Bible is about God’s good creation and his design to walk in relationship with mankind. This message ultimately culminates in the person of Jesus Christ.
It is worth spending your life getting to know this message!
Which tip for reading scripture stands out the most to you? You can share your feedback in the comments below.
