The Biblefaktor

Perhaps because he was a farmer, Amos used a plan writing style, filled with strong country language. The organization of his book is clear too: chapters 1-2 line up the Middle Eastern nationsfor trial, chapters 3-6 give a series of messages from God (usually beginning with "Hear this word"), and the last three chapters convey God's judgement through five graphic visions. Throughout, Amos sticks close to his main concern: cruelty and inhumanity between people. The injustices Amos condemns often sound familiar today. As you read ask yourself, " What would Amos say about me and about my people?" It is a good idea to read Amos and Hosea together, for they give two views of the same situation. A visitor from the South, Amos was shocked by the injustices he saw in every market place. Hosea emphasized the inner dimension, an abused relationship to a loving God. Amos predicted that Israel would be punished, and his prediction proved right. After King Jeroboam,...

Joel breaks naturally into two parts. Up to 2:28, it talks about a locust invasion and the response of God's people to such a natural disaster. From that verse on, however, Joel's view rises above local situation and deals with the far-off future. Joel rarely refers to unfamiliar people, places, or events, so you can read it fairly easily without using any outside reference like a Bible dictionary. The challenge is to connect his understanding of a natural disaster-alocust plague-with his fission of the future. The Bible often offers to "the day of the Lord" as the time when God will completely take charge of our world. But Joel seems to see "the day of the LORD" partly revealed in the disasters of his days. As you read, try to see the similarities Joel draws between the locust invasion and the final consummation of history. Ask yourself: How do I respond to disaster? How would Joel want me to respond?

Hosea is one of the most emotional books in the Bible, an outpouring of suffering love from God's heart. This shows in the writing, which jumps impulsively from one thought to the next. Read a chapter dramatically aloud, and you will get this sense. It is almost like listening in on a husband-and-wife fight. The book divides into two parts. In the first three chapters, the prophet Hosea briefly describes his marriage to an adulterous woman and makes the connection to Isreal's unfaithfulness to God. From chapter 4 onward this dramatic, personal beginning is not mentioned again. But it has set the stage. God's deep love, his disappointment and anger, and his determination to persevere with his unfaithful wife pour out in a series of vivid speeches. For a historical perspective on Hosea's times, read from 2 Kings 14:23 to 17:41, noting that some sections describe Judah, the southern nation, while the rest relate to the deteriorating Isreal Hosea knew. The prophet Amo...

Daniel breaks into two parts, each quite different from the other. The first six chapters tell the “famous” Daniel stories-including the stories of three men thrown into a fiery furnace and Daniel in the lions’ den. Any of these chapters would make a script for a thriller. As you read them, reflect on the principles Daniel can teach you about faithfulness to God in similarly “alien” circumstances. Most people find chapters 7-12 far more difficult. They record Daniel’s visions about the future of world history. Such symbolism was a familiar mode of expression in the ancient world, but it reads very strangely now-almost like science fiction. Look for broad impressions of how God’s people can live, caught in the jaws of brutal world politics. Let the visual symbols engage your emotions and imagination. If you seek a more detailed understanding of these visions, a commentary on Daniel will be a great help. In some passages, background information on ancient world history is essential...

The special difficulty in reading Ezekiel is the dizzying variety of forms he used to get his message across. The book is like a multimedia package-a mix of visions, messages, dramas, poems. But three remarkable visions of God bracket the package, beginning, middle, and end (1:1-3:15; 8:1-6 and 11:16-25; 40:1-4 and 43:1-9). And throughout, one line is repeated: "Then they will know that I am the LORD." All God's messages are meant to shock his people into restoring a living relationship with him. As you read Ezekiel, note down when each prophecy was made and its dominant image-Jerusalem as a prostitute, as a spreading grapevine, as a shaved head, etc. Remember that the book of Ezekiel compresses messages God gave over 22 years. Try to imagine the impact of each message on the people who first heard or saw it. Most of what Ezekiel said in Babylon concerned a dramatic military situation hundreds of miles away from Jerusalem. His message changed from doom to hope in chap...

Lamentations is poetry, one poem per chapter. Its main purpose is not to describe events, nor to teach lessons, though it does both. Its intent is to express grief, to pour out before God the horror and bitterness of what has happened to Jerusalem. These five poems can help you to understand what it meant for Jews to see Jerusalem destroyed. They can also help you learn to deal appropriately with grief, your own or others'. Read them expressively, preferably out loud, so that you catch the deep emotion. Note that the author does not rush to express his hope in God, but fully grieves for the tragedy he was involved in. Lamentations is not difficult to understand, though some of the poetical allusions may become clearer if you use a Bible dictionary or a commentary. For a summary of the destruction that inspired Lamentations, read 2 Kings 25.

Suppose you find, in an old trunk, a thick packet of letters written by your great uncle. You soon realize they are all out of order. One he wrote from the trenches of Franceduring World War I. The next also refers tons war, but from the references to British prime minister Winston Churchill you soon recognize it as World War II, over 20 years later. Those letters might contain the whole of your uncle's life, but to get his story straight, you'd have to read the whole packet. A reader of Jeremiah finds a very similar situation. The book is an anthology of prophecies given at different times. They jump forward and backward in history, and if you imagine that the book is in chronological order, you will become very confused. Fortunately, it is not hard to reconstruct the order of the main events of Jeremiah's life. Jeremiah spoke to a nation about to be destroyed by war. Three hundred years before him, the Israelites had split into two countries, Is real in the North an...

In the eighth century B.C., about the time Homer was writing The lliad and The Odyssey, Isaiah wrote the book that bears his name. It is arguably the most eloquent book in the Old Testament, and you will likely recognize many verses and phrases. Isaiah is full of profound insights into the nature of God and his plan for the earth. Due to its length and its peculiar organization, however, the book may seem hard to grasp. Remember that Isaiah consists of a collection of many messages on various topics, pulled together into groupings. To understand Isaiah, it helps to think of “road markers” that set off the major groupings. Here is a summary of them: Isaiah 1-12: Isaiah’s call and messages of warning to Judah during the prosperous days of the kingdom. (These came mostly in the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz. Isaiah 13-23: Isaiah's messages to all the nations around Judah-including enemies and close allies. Isaiah 24-35: A view of the earth’s future (24-27) and specific...

Since love songs are always popular, many people approach Song of Songs with great expectations. However, readers often find the book different from what they had expected. Two main problems may hinder today's reader. One is the poetic imagery. No modern lover would say, "Your hair is like a flock of goats" (4:1), "Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon" (7:4). While some images in Song of Songs appeal-"His banner over me is love" (2:4) or "Love is as strong as death" (8:6)-the majority of the book's metaphors sound strange to our ears. Most of the comparisons aren't visual, but emotional. For instance, when the lover tells his beloved that "your two breasts are like two fawns" (4:5), he isn't saying that her breast looks like deer. Hhe is saying that they bring out the same tender feelings baby deer do. When you read strange-sounding metaphors in Song of Songs, don't ask, "What did these things (pomegrana...

Ecclesiastes attracts extreme reactions. For several hundred years, Jewish scholars fiercely debated whether the book should even be included in the Old Testament. Yet American novelist Thomas Wolfe said of it, "Ecclesiastes is the greatest single place of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound." Because of the book's unique nature, it is important to keep certain principles in mind while reading it. Consider Ecclesiastes as a whole. The teacher was exploring various philosophies of life. During his search, he tried different approaches, including hedonism, the unrestrained pursuit of pleasure. The book honestly records the authors search without endorsing it. At times then author concludes with despairing statements that directly contradicts other parts of the Bible (for example, the recurring phase, "Everything is meaningless"). Read such individual statements in their context. Just as the book of Job cont...

People love to quote proverbs. Often the express truth about life in an elegant, witty kernel. You’ll find more humour in Proverbs than anywhere else in the Bible. Yet Proverbs may as well be the most abused books in the Bible. People often quote the proverbs as though they were absolute promises from God or rigid rules for living. In fact, few of the proverbs should be read that way. And some proverbs, read alone, would give you a distorted point of view. To understand Proverbs, you should no hunt through it for proverbs you like. You should study the whole book to get its overall point of view. This takes time, for Proverbs covers dozens of subjects in subtle detail. Each oif the more than 500 proverbs is a tough but you have to crack before you get the inner meat. Read Proverbs slowly, but not for too long as one sitting. Some people like to read a small number of proverbs each day in addition to their regular Bible readings. Others concentrate on memorizing proverbs, so...

The best way to read the psalms is also the most common way to make these ancient prayers your own and speak them directly to God. So many of the poems catch such deep human feelings that you can’t help being moved by them. But not all the psalms seem attractive. Some sound harsh, self-congratulatory, or boring. You will not find it easy to pray these until you understand them. And there are so many psalms! This is the longest book in the Bible. To compensate, many peoplke read only selected psalms, skimming over the others. But then they miss the deeper messages found there, including the messages that the New Testament writers saw when they quoted Psalms more than any other Old Testament book. The richest lessons from Psalms may come from particularly difficult poems you must read again and again until you begin to see what the author had in mind. The original Hebrew of these poems probably used no rhyme or strict rhythm as traditional English poems do. Instead the psalmists...

The book of Job is regarded as one of the world's truly great literacy masterpiece. It contains some of the finest, most expressive poetry in the Bible. Yet first-time readers of Job can easily get lost because the complete "story line" is found in the first two chapters and the last one. Everything in between consists of a series of speeches. Rather than reading large sections of the book, read one entire speech by Job, or a speech by Job and a rebuttal from one of his friends. It may help if you try to summarize the statement behind each speech in one sentence and write that sentence in the margin (for example, "Job protests that he's innocent"). Speakers of that day impressed their audience more by eloquence than by rigorous logic, so the speeches may seem flowery. The issues Job and his friends address, however, are life-and- death ones. As you read the speeches of Job's friends, remember that their views do not necessarily reflect God's. The...

Esther makes such suspenseful reading that most people will find it hard to quit. As in a detective story, every detail folds into another. You don't know, from one page to the next, how the drama will turn out. The essence of Esther lies in its characters. Study Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and King Xerxes. What kind of people were they? What were their ambitions? What were their strengths and weaknesses? What crucial moment showed the true character of each? What do you learn from them that can help you rise to the challenge when you are "the right person at the right place at the right time"? Knowing the historical setting for Esther's story can enrich your study. A good commentary or Bible dictionary (under "Esther") will illuminate many of the details that make Esther sch a convincing historical document. People You'll Meet in Esther - Esther - Mordecai

Nehemiah's personality is the outstanding quality of the book that bears his name. No other biblical character gives such clear information about how to "practice the presence of Good" while carrying a leadership role. As you head, take note of the qualities that made Nehemiah successful as a leader and man of God. You may also so wish to contrast his leadership with Ezra's. They worked in tandem but had very different styles. Nehemiah was an activist, Ezra a student; Nehemiah was outspoken, Ezra more withdrawn. Yet both faced similar problems and had similar success- and the two worked smoothly together. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah both tell how the disgraced and chastened Jews returned from exile to rebuild their country. As history, Nehemiah includes some long lists of different family groups, as well as a detailed description of who built which parts of the Jerusalem wall. Unless you are an advanced student, you should skim this lists mainly to get an underst...

The book of Ezra describes several highly emotional events. Yet it reads like a historical report, citing official documents, letters, and lists written over an 80-year span. You are often left to imagine for yourself the feelings of the retuning exiles. The book can, therefore, seem confusing and dry unless you take time to imagine how the scenes must have looked and reflect on how people must have felt. The three distinct periods Ezra deals with all have the same theme: a new beginning for God's people. In each situation God gave opportunity and the outside world threatened it. God's people drifted back and forth in their response. Carefully take note of the "messages" from bothe God and the world, and how the Israelite responded. Examine Ezra's model, as an unwavering man of the law as well as of deep personal faith. To understand how Ezra fits into Israel's long-term pattern of response to God and the world, read some historical background. A...

You will recognize many of the stories in 2 Chronicles-about half of it closely follow other Bible passages. The author freely admits he has relied on he books of Moses, Samuel, and Kings. He also quotes from Judges, Jeremiah, Psalms, Isaiah, an Lamentations, as well as many books that have been lost to history. But 2 Chronicles does not merely repeat. It weaves together stories and facts to a specific purpose: a Jewish philosophy of history. Chronicles sheds new light on that history by highlighting rare moments of peace and posperity. Worship of the true God had made Israel strong. As you read, notice how 2 Chronicles underscores that fact by stressing the temple and priests. For comparison, you may want to read companion passages in the book of Kings. Read side by side, the accounts clearly reveal the distinct purpose behind the book of Chronicles. Look past all the names and events for the few kings who rights. What made them successful? What lessons about faith c...

Few will enjoy reading 1 Chronicles' many lists and geneologies straight through. You should approach them more like a puzzle. Don't get lost in the hundreds of names. Instead, try to understand how the different parts of 1 Chronicles fit together. For each section ask, "Why was this included? What did it mean to the original audience-to the Israelite who had returned from exile in Babylon? How did it encourage them as they made a new beginning?" First Chronicles divides cleanly into two parts. The first nine chapters are mainly lists of names. In these, the Israelites read their family tree and discovered their heritage. Chapters 10 to 29 tell David's story, focusing on the legacy he left behind for future generations-especially the temple. David, a founding father of Israel, transformed the nation in a way that lasted hundreds of years. People You'll Meet in 1 Chronicles Joab Abishai Asahel

The first eight chapters of 2 Kings, full of excitement and adventure, read easily. They focus on the last days of the prophet Elijaah and on the long life of his successor Elisha. But beginning with chapter 9, the book can become very confusing. It switches back and forth between two histories: that of Israel in the North and Judah in the South. Israel was strong initially, with 10 of the 12 tribes united there. But it proved less faithful to God and was ultimately destroyed by Assyria. Chapters 18-25 cover the period after the Assyrian invasion, when only Judah existed. One important reason for studying the books of Kings and Chronicles is that they give historical background on the prophets. Elijah and Elisha appeared at a crucial turning point in the history of the Northern Kingdom, just as Ahab was changing the official religion from worship of God to worship of Baal. Other prophets, who wrote books of the Bible, were also active during this time. Amos and Hosea concentrated...

First and Second Kings were originally one book: The same Hebrew scroll contained both. Hebrew, having no vowels, is a very compact language, and when the book of Kings was translated into the wordier Greek and Latin, more space was needed. Translators arbitrarily split Kings. The two books, however, should be read as one. First Kings divides neatly almost in half, with mostly good news in the first half. It tells of Israel’s Golden Age, when King Solomon brought peace and prosperity to the nation. But he also sowed the seed o the calamities to follow. Chapter 12 marks the beginning of a civil war that ruptured Israel into two nations: Is real in the North and Judah in the South. The rest of 1, 2 Kings describes, ruler by ruler the signs of 19 kingsin the North and 19 kings and one queen in the South. Another book, 2 Chronicles, covers the exact same historical period as 1, 2 Kings. In some cases, 2 Chronicles adds ore details, so if the story interests you, read the parallel accou...