Judges

The main point of this book is that the Israelites keep sinning. God keeps saving, but then they sin again. There are no real heroes in this book; everyone is pretty wretched, though some are worse than others.

Pay attention to chapter 1 because this explains one of the reasons the Israelites kept sinning: they didn’t get rid of the Canaanites and so they were always a temptation to them.

Note that chapter 2 describes the cycle of the book: the people sin, God makes them suffer by sending an oppressor, the people cry out for help, God saves them. This cycle repeats itself throughout the book.

The main point in the story of Gideon is that the Israelites could not brag that they won (note 7:2).

Samson was a very naughty boy. But God still accomplished what he wanted through him.

At the end of the book there is a refrain repeated several times that “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” One of the purposes of the book is to express the need for a godly king who will lead the people to do what is pleasing to God. Will Saul or David solve the people’s problem? We ‘ll find out in 1-2 Samuel.

Ruth

This short story shows how Ruth was selfless and worshipped the true God even though she was from Moab.

Boaz is a hero of the story because he marries Ruth even though it may have cost him.

The last verses of the book have a special ending: the baby that God gives to Ruth and Boaz becomes the grandfather of David. In other words, without Ruth and Boaz, there would be no David!

[Note to my older readers: Ruth deserves more, but I’m doing this all off the top of my head with limited time.  If you ‘re infuriated that I would do such a poor job here, you ‘re welcome to add comments below.]

I’ve spent a good part of my life thinking about things in this book, without really understanding the book as a whole.  I’ve thought about the background of this book, without carefully considering its message.  I’ve spent more time trying to understand what is not in the text than what is clearly written.  That’s true not only for Joshua, but for other portions of Scripture as well.  Thankfully I am having the opportunity now to focus on what God said.  Knowing the background certainly removes barriers to understanding and so I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had, but it is not a substitute for the foreground. On to the Bible reading guide I am writing for my son:

The main point of this book is to show how Israel finally took possession of the Promised Land. They had been waiting ever since God promised it to Abraham. Then they were stuck in Egypt. Then they were traveling in the wilderness. Finally, they arrive!

Notice in the battles that the Israelites hardly do any fighting at all. God fights for them!

Chapters 13-21 may seem boring to you, but they were very important to the people who were being given a special piece of land by God. Imagine as you read that you ‘re at the reading of a will and you ‘re eagerly waiting to hear what you will inherit.

Chapter 24 is important to understand before you start Judges. Joshua warns the people that if they don’t obey God, they ‘re going to get in trouble.

This book might be called the “heart” of the Old Testament, because it teaches so much of what God cares for. Some of the laws may seem boring, but many of them sound very much like the principles in the New Testament.

Chapters 1-4 is a review of the good things God did in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.

Chapter 5 will sound familiar because it repeats the Ten Commandments.

Three of my favorite chapters in the Old Testament are Deuteronomy 6, 8, and 10.

I thought about writing my dissertation related to chapter 12. You might not understand why, but it is very important that God only allows people to sacrifice to him at one place.

God gives rules for some jobs that are going to be important later in the Bible, especially rules for kings (ch. 17) and prophets (ch. 18).

Chapter 28 explains a lot of what happens in the books of Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles. If only the Israelites had obeyed what God said here!

Chapters 29-30 predict that Israel will sin and because of that they will go into exile. But God will bring them back from exile. This is an amazing prediction long before it ever happened. God knows the future! More than that, he has planned it all out.

Here are the next couple of books in the “Bible Reading Guide” that I’m writing for my son.

Leviticus

The book’s name means “for the Levites,” but most of the book is actually for the Israelites.

The heart of the book is this: now that God is living in the center of camp in the tabernacle, how should the Israelites live? The short answer is: be holy, as I am holy. How do you do that? That’s what this book is about. This includes how one can come close to God (sacrifices) as well as what one should eat, wear, and celebrate.

I’ve written more about Leviticus here and touched on it here.

Numbers

This book gets its name because of the counting at the beginning and near the end. The Israelites are numbered in a census in chapter 1 and then (after 40 years in the wilderness) again in chapter 26.

The first ten chapters describe how the Israelites get ready to leave Mount Sinai.

Chapters 11-14 describe why the Israelites are going to live and die in the wilderness for 40 years.

Lots of people sin in chapters 14-21, including Moses! By chapter 20, the 40 years in the wilderness are almost over.

The story with Balaam and his donkey is funny, but what is most important are his prophecies in chapter 24 about a king. This is one of the first prophecies about the Messiah!

A guy I met from church tonight told how his former pastor suggested taking a calculus book, turning to page 188, then back to 53, before reading 221.  You ‘d wonder why it didn’t make sense.  Yet we read the Bible that way. 

Here’s what I told my son to pay attention to before he read the book of Exodus.

The book of Exodus ends very differently than it begins.  At the beginning, the Israelites are slaves; at the end, they are free people. At the beginning they get no rest from their work; at the end they get a day of rest (Shabbat) every week. At the beginning they do not know God; at the end the Lord lives in the middle of their camp.

The ten plagues and the Red Sea are important because they show how God delivered his children. If Pharaoh had just let the Israelites go (and God could have arranged that), they would not have needed God, and God would not have received glory. This way, God actually “saved” Israel from Egypt.

Pay close attention to chapter 19 where God and the Israelites make a covenant. This means that they each agree to do certain things. God promises to protect and provide for his people. The Israelites agree to obey his commands.

Chapters 20-24 form the essence of the covenant. They begin, appropriately, with the ten commandments.

Chapter 25-40 is about building the tabernacle. In 25-31, God gives instructions. In 35-40, the Israelites follow the instructions (which is why it sounds repetitive). In the middle (32-34), Israel makes a big mistake, but don’t miss the some of the most important verses in the Bible when God reveals himself to Moses (34:6-7).

One of my sons is going to try to read through the Bible this summer.  I thought that it might help him if I made a “Bible reading guide” that would make sure he paid attention to important matters and grasped the main points.  I’m writing this at a basic (6th-grade) level, but on the chance that it might be helpful to others, I’m posting it here.  If it appears that it is helpful, I may continue to post portions here.

Before you read mine, you might think for a minute about Genesis and what you consider to be important.  What would you tell a 6th grader or someone reading the Bible from cover to cover the first time?  (If you want, you can add comments below.)  Here we go:

God makes a good world, including a good man and a good woman. They rebel against God and the rest of the Bible records God’s efforts to restore fellowship.

Pay careful attention to God’s promises to Abraham in chapters 12, 15, and 17. Much of the rest of the Bible assumes that you understand and appreciate these.

The patriarchs aren’t perfect, but God is always faithful to them. In some ways they are models for us today, but in many ways they aren’t.

Notice how God saves the Israelites by using Joseph in Egypt. If Joseph was not in Egypt, the Israelites may have died (from famine) or become Canaanites (by intermarriage).

Genesis explains how Israel came to Egypt, thus setting the stage for why the Israelites are slaves in the book of Exodus.

Bonus (not in his guide): observe how God fulfills his promise to Abraham, first by providing a son (Isaac), then by “raising that son from the dead,” then by choosing only one of his sons (Jacob, but despite wicked Isaac’s best efforts), and then by giving Jacob 12 sons.

Sidenote: Genesis 38 seems like a completely random chapter, but I think it explains what would have happened to Jacob’s 12 sons if they had not gone to Egypt: they would have become like the Canaanites.