A Family Guide to the Bible E-Book

Christin Ditchfield

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 481

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

All Christian parents want their children to gain a better understanding of God's Word, but many of them are still searching to completely understand the Bible themselves. How can they confidently share what they believe with their families? A Family Guide to the Bible takes readers on a fun and exciting tour through all sixty-six books of the Bible and offers parents, grandparents, and teachers a better understanding of the Scriptures so they can help the children in their lives know what is in the Bible, where to find it, and how it all fits together. As Christians become more familiar with God's Word, they will gain greater confidence as they share what they believe with their family and friends, help answer questions concerning the Bible, and encourage others to grow deeper in their walks of faith.

Leseprobe

A Family Guide to the Bible

Copyright © 2009 by Christin Ditchfield

Published by Crossway Booksa publishing ministry of Good News Publishers1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover art: Portland StudiosInterior design and typesetting: Lakeside Design PlusMaps: David P. BarrettFirst printing 2009Printed in the United States of AmericaPublished in association with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, Eugene, Oregon.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Scripture references marked AMPLIFIED are from The Amplified Bible. Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright © 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture references marked NLT are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill. 60189. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

ISBN: 978-1-58134-891-0

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1241-4

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1242-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataDitchfield, Christin.A family guide to the Bible / Christin Ditchfield.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references.ISBN 978-1-58134-891-0 (tpb)1. Bible—Introductions. I. Title.

BS475.3.D58 2009   220.6'1—dc22

2008043041

LB                  20    19    18    17    16    15    14    13    12    11    10    0915    14    13    12    11    10     9       8      7      6      5       4      3     2      1

To parents everywhere who have the confidence that a love for the Word of God is the most important thing they can teach their children—and who have the courage to ask for help when they need it.

May God open your heart and mind to all the wonders of His Word, and give you all the wisdom and inspiration and creativity you need to share them with your children in a way that will impact their lives for all eternity.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. The History of the Bible: Where Did It Come From?

2. The Authority of the Bible: Can We Trust It?

3. The Message of the Bible: What Is It All About?

4. The Old Testament: Book by Book

5. The New Testament: Book by Book

6. How to Study the Bible

Choosing a Translation

Using a Bible Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Concordance

Study Tips for Personal Bible Study

Study Tips for Family Devotions

Bible Reading Plans

7. Where in the Scriptures You’ll Find . . .

Stories from the Old Testament That Everyone Should Know

Stories from the New Testament That Everyone Should Know

Bible Heroes: Men

Bible Heroes: Women

Bible Heroes: Kids and Teens

The Miracles of Jesus

The Teachings of Jesus

Verses to Help You Celebrate Holidays

Verses to Help You Share Your Faith

Verses to Help You Guard Your Heart

Verses to Help You Face Your Fears

What the Bible Says about Heaven

8. Maps of Bible Lands

From Egypt to the Promised Land

The Kingdom of Israel

The Divided Kingdom: Israel and Judah

Palestine in the Time of Jesus

The Churches of the New Testament

Bible Lands Today

9. Find Out More

INTRODUCTION

When you first flip open the pages of the Bible, it can be a thrilling experience. Inside you find incredible stories that capture your imagination, amazing characters that touch your heart, powerful truths that challenge and inspire you, words that seem to come alive and leap right off the page!

But getting into the Bible can also be confusing, overwhelming, and even intimidating. After all, it was written in a very different time (thousands of years ago), in a very different place (thousands of miles away), in a culture completely foreign to our own. If you didn’t grow up in a home where you were taught all the finer points of biblical theology—and even if you did—you may find there are huge gaps in your knowledge base, gaps that make it difficult for you to truly grasp what you’re reading yourself, let alone explain it to your children or grandchildren, your Sunday school class, or a children’s church group.

Yet it’s crucial that we try . . . and try . . . and try again. Because for one thing, the Bible is the most influential and widely-read book in the history of the world. Being familiar with its contents is part of being a well-educated, well-rounded, well-read individual. More importantly, the Bible’s truths are timeless—and still tremendously relevant to us today. Reading the Bible is how we come to know the God of the universe, our Creator. The Bible tells us who He is and what He’s like, why He created us and what He expects of us. It reveals to us the sinfulness of our own hearts—the pride, the selfishness, the rebellion—and introduces us to the Savior who can deliver us and help us be all that we were meant to be.

There are literally hundreds of fabulous Bible commentaries, handbooks, and encyclopedias written by Bible scholars available to us today. And if you’ve got the time and inclination, you can spend hours getting lost in their pages, learning all kinds of fascinating facts and information. But unfortunately, for most of us, time is the one thing we don’t have much of. And frankly the thought of wading through some of those eight hundred-page epics can be just as daunting as the original task. Talk about information overload!

A Family Guide to the Bible was written to help busy parents, grandparents, and teachers with the basics: what’s in the Bible, where to find it, and how it all fits together. It’s intended to be simple, family friendly, and easy to understand and follow. Hopefully one day you’ll have the time to dig into some of those more detailed resources and reference books. But this is a place to start, a first step in a lifelong journey—a great adventure of faith!

The first three chapters of A Family Guide to the Bible give you a little background information. “The History of the Bible” explains how we got the book we hold in our hands today. “The Authority of the Bible” discusses how we know we can trust it. And “The Message of the Bible” provides an overview of the greatest story ever told, from Genesis to Revelation—start to finish.

Next, we’ll take a brief look at what’s in each of the sixty-six books that make up the book we call the Bible. Who wrote this particular book? When and where? What are the highlights? Things to know? You’ll find it all right here.

The last section offers lots of practical tips and suggestions on things like choosing a translation, using a Bible concordance or encyclopedia, and organizing your own personal Bible study and/or family devotions. There are Bible reading plans, maps and charts, and lists of Scriptures that tell you where to find familiar Bible stories or verses that address specific topics such as “What the Bible Says about Heaven.”

It is my heartfelt hope and prayer that A Family Guide to the Bible will truly be a blessing, a help to you and your family, as each of you comes to know Jesus Christ more deeply, personally, and powerfully through the pages of His Word.

Christin Ditchfield

1

THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE

Where Did It Come From ?

“And we have the word of the prophets . . . men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:19, 21

The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word biblios, meaning “book.” Christians often refer to this book as “the Word of God,” because we believe that it is literally God’s Word, His message, or as some have said, His love letter to mankind. Every chapter, every verse, every word of Scripture was inspired by God himself.

But how did it come to us? How did we get the book that we hold in our hands today? Did it simply drop down from heaven one day? Was it delivered on somebody’s doorstep by an angelic messenger?

The Bible was actually written over a period of more than 1,500 years by as many as forty different authors. God spoke to these men, and they wrote down what He said. He directed them, motivated them, moved them to write-and they responded by picking up their pens. Inspired by the Spirit of God, these men recorded the history of God’s people, His commandments and decrees, prayers and poetry and songs of praise, letters of encouragement and instruction, and prophecies of things to come. At first these words were written on tablets of stone and clay, later on scrolls made of papyrus (plant fiber) and vellum (animal skins).

Over time, as new words-new scrolls-were added, they were gathered together and kept in places of honor in temples and synagogues and churches, to be brought out and read during worship services and special ceremonies. Local congregations of believers treasured them. The scrolls were also carefully copied by hand by scribes and scholars, then passed on to other communities, countries, and cultures down through the ages. Eventually scholars came up with systems to organize the scrolls, either into categories or chronological order. They divided the Scriptures into sections-chapters and verses and books-that not only made it simpler to find specific passages and study them, but also made it easier to check and cross-check to avoid errors in copying.

By AD 400, many different documents were circulating among the churches, each purporting to be Scripture. The greatest church leaders, religious historians, and Bible scholars of the day came together for a came together for a determine which of these were the most respected, the most widely-regarded, the ones that could be verified as authentic, the ones that were consistent with established biblical teaching. They considered the external testimony (what others throughout history had thought of these books) and the internal testimony (what the books said about themselves and each other). And these church leaders prayed. They fervently prayed that God himself would guide them and give them wisdom and discernment.

When all was said and done, the church council had established what is known as the biblical “canon”—a collection of books, each of which had been recognized as meeting a certain standard or specific criterion. These same books make up the Bible we read today.

There are sixty-six individual books in the Bible, divided into two sections called “testaments.” The word “testament” means “covenant” or “agreement”—as in a legally binding contract. The Old Testament is God’s covenant or commitment to mankind from the time of creation to the fall of Israel (when it ceased to be an independent nation and its people were sent into exile), approximately 1500 BC to 400 BC. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament, written mostly in Hebrew and organized into five different categories: the books of the Law (also known as the Law of Moses or “the Torah”), the Histories, Poetry and Wisdom, Major (longer length) Prophets, and Minor (shorter length) Prophets.

Fig. 1.1 The Old Testament

The books of the Old Testament are sometimes referred to as “the Jewish Scriptures” because—along with “rabbinic tradition” (commentary and teachings on the Scriptures by religious leaders)—they are the foundation of the Jewish faith. Devout Jews still study and revere these books and observe these laws today.

Four hundred years after the last book of the Old Testament was written, the New Testament picks up the story with the birth of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah or “deliverer,” whose coming was foretold by the prophets of old. The New Testament is God’s new covenant or commitment to His people—a fulfillment of promises made in the old covenant. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son . . .” (Hebrews 1:1–2).

The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were originally written in Greek sometime between AD 48 and AD 95. They are arranged into five categories: the Gospels, History, Paul’s Letters (letters written by the apostle Paul), General Letters (letters written by other apostles or disciples of Jesus), and Prophecy.

Fig. 1.2 The New Testament

Over the years, some Christians have mistakenly come to the conclusion that there is no need to study the Old Testament because it is “old,” and therefore (supposedly) no longer valid. We don’t live under the law of Moses or abide by all the rules and regulations established in Leviticus. We’re not under the terms of the old covenant, but the new. However, Jesus Himself corrected this misunderstanding or misapplication of truth when He said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).

As someone once observed:

The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.

The authors of the New Testament quote the Old Testament literally hundreds and hundreds of times-some scholars have identified as many as two thousand comparable passages! In His preaching and teaching, Jesus quoted from at least twenty-two different books of the Old Testament.

Everything that the Old Testament teaches us about who God is and what He requires of us is absolutely still valid. His ultimate plan and purpose for mankind is still the same. Furthermore, Christianity was born out of Judaism. Knowing our history is key to understanding our present and our future. So both the Old and the New Testament have tremendous value to followers of Jesus today.

When the church councils first met to establish the biblical canon, there were some writings from both the Old Testament and the New Testament era that they chose not to include-books whose authorship couldn’t be verified and whose content couldn’t be authenticated, and books that were not historically regarded as Scripture by either Jewish or Christian religious leaders. Centuries later, the Roman Catholic Church decided to include some of these books in the Catholic Bible. They are referred to by Protestant Christians as the Apocrypha (“Apocrypha” originally meant “secret” or “hidden” writings, and many of these books have a mystical tone.) Roman Catholics call them the “deuterocanonical” or “second canon” books.

Fig. 1.3 The Apocryphal or Deuterocanonical Books

During the Middle Ages, the Greek and Hebrew Bible was translated into Latin. Monks living in monasteries devoted their lives to making copies of the Bible the only way they could-by hand! It was painstaking work. It took years to create a single copy of the sacred Scriptures from start to finish. Consequently, copies of the Bible were costly and precious and rare. Only the wealthiest individuals-bishops and kings and queens-could own Bibles of their own. A local church would be glad to have even one copy for the congregation to share. It would be kept on display, and only the priest would know enough Latin to be able to read it.

From the 1300s to the 1500s, a handful of courageous and dedicated Bible scholars began the work of translating the Scriptures into “the language of the common man”-English or German or French, depending on their nationality. These scholars believed that everyone, not just a privileged few, should have access to the powerful, life-changing truths of the Bible for themselves. The translators’ efforts were greatly assisted by Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, which revolutionized the process of book publishing-no more copying page after page by hand! (The Gutenberg Bible was printed in 1455.) However, these Bible scholars often found themselves caught up in a political power struggle as corrupt church leaders opposed and outlawed their work. If ordinary people could read the Bible for themselves, they might challenge the authority of the church and question some of its more questionable (and unbiblical) teachings! Many Bible translators were falsely accused of heresy, tortured, and killed for their commitment to the Scriptures, including William Tyndale, “the Father of the English Bible.”

In the 1600s, King James commissioned a committee of fifty-four Bible scholars to create an accurate, authoritative, modern English translation of the Bible. It was first published in 1611, and became known as the King James or “Authorized” Version. For over three hundred years, it was considered the English language Bible.

The twentieth century brought advances in technology, new archaeological discoveries and information, and a renewed interest in Bible translation. Today we have dozens of contemporary English language translations and paraphrases. (For more on this, see “Choosing a Translation,” on page 259.) The Bible has been translated into two thousand other languages, as well.

Sadly, there are still as many as four thousand people groups that don’t have access to the Bible in their own language, and there are still countries and cultures hostile to the Christian faith, in which mere possession of a Bible is a capital offense.

The Reverend Billy Graham once said that perhaps an even greater tragedy is the fact that the Bible remains a “closed book” to millions of people “either because they leave it unread or because they read it without applying its teachings to themselves. . . . The Bible needs to be opened, read and believed.”1

We need to remember what an incredible privilege it is to hold in our hands the Word of God Himself, His message, His love letter to us-to be able to read it for ourselves, learn to understand it, and apply it to our own lives today.

1. Quoted in Henrietta C. Mears, What the Bible Is All About (Ventura, CA: Regal/Gospel Light, 1998), 10.

2

THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE

Can We Trust It?

The Bible claims to be the Word of God-His message to mankind. Many books of the Bible begin with the phrase, “And the Word of the Lord came to. . . .” Others state that God said to the author, “Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you” (Jeremiah 30:2). King David claimed, “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples explained, “You must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Bible also says about itself:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubleedged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

But if the Bible we hold in our hands today is literally thousands of years old, if it’s been copied and copied and recopied-translated from old languages we don’t read or speak-can we really trust it? Can we rely on it as our authority on life and faith? Maybe the original was inspired, but how do we know the copy we have today hasn’t lost something in the translation? That it isn’t full of errors and mistakes?

Scholars and skeptics through the ages have asked these same questions. Entire books have been written on the subject. Many of today’s most brilliant, educated theologians and apologists (“defenders of the faith”) started out to prove that we couldn’t trust the Bible, that it wasn’t accurate or authoritative or true. Somewhere along the way they became convinced of the exact opposite; they were overwhelmed by the evidence to the contrary. Here are just a few of their “arguments”-their insights and observations on why we can trust in the accuracy and authority of the Scriptures we have today.

Unity. Apart from divine intervention, it’s impossible to believe there’s any way that forty different authors over 1,500 years could write with the unity of thought and purpose that we find in the Scriptures. The worldview, the doctrines, and the teachings are all completely consistent with each other. There’s no true conflict or contradiction, no real disagreement. Wherever it appears at first glance that there might be some sort of conflict or minor discrepancy, it turns out there’s usually a fairly simple explanation for it. For instance, each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tells the story of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Many times, the Gospel writers provide word-for-word accounts of specific events and incidents. But then there are instances in which they seem to differ in what was said or who was present at the time. That doesn’t mean one is right and another is wrong. Guided by the Holy Spirit, each writer chose to include the details that seemed most appropriate and relevant to him-and what he was trying to communicate to his readers. Just like the old story about the seven blind mice describing an elephant, each one’s perspective might be different-but still correct! All together, they give us the full picture.

Accuracy. The scribes who first copied the Scriptures and the scholars who translated them did so with great reverence and respect for the original documents. They were meticulous in their attention to detail; they went to elaborate lengths, taking extraordinary care to ensure the accuracy of their work. Today we still have thousands of copies of Scripture made by hand before AD 1500, and they are all the same. In 1947, a shepherd discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in a desert cave. These were copies of Scripture dating back sometime between 100 BC-AD 100, older than any other copies previously known to exist. And they are virtually identical to copies made thousands of years later. There is no variation in the doctrine or teachings.

History. For years, secular historians dismissed certain books of the Bible or certain passages of Scripture on the basis that there was no historical evidence to confirm the existence of such-and-such a city or such-and-such a king. They said there was no proof that these people mentioned in the Bible ever existed. But in the last two hundred years, archaeologists have made some amazing discoveries. They have uncovered records of long-lost cities, previously unknown kings, and entire races of people that history forgot, but the Bible didn’t. Time after time, archaeological discoveries have supported and confirmed the biblical account.

Prophecy. There is also the fact that the Bible contains hundreds of prophecies-many of which have already clearly been fulfilled, with events taking place just as the prophets said they would. Long before the events happened, these prophets predicted the rise and fall of nations, empires, rulers, and kings-and their words came true. How else could they possibly know all that they knew, unless God really did speak to them, revealing the future often in specific and minute detail.

Of course it’s true that not every contemporary translation of Scripture is as accurate as it could be or should be. There are individuals and organizations that have approached the translation of the Bible with an agenda. By changing certain words and phrases-adding some and omitting others-they have imposed their own views onto the Scripture and inserted their own teachings into the text. So it is important to choose an accurate, reliable translation for Bible reading. Some of the most widely read, reputable English translations are the King James Version, the New International Version, the English Standard Version, and the New American Standard Bible. (For more on choosing a translation, see pages 259-261 of this book.) When exploring a particularly difficult or complex passage of Scripture, it’s a good idea to compare multiple translations to get a better feel for the original meaning of the text. (For more on studying the Bible, see chapter 6.)

Ultimately, as Christians we believe that the same God who inspired His servants to pick up their pens and record His words in the first place is still alive and well and at work in the world today. He is fully capable of guarding the transmission of His Word from generation to generation, preserving it and protecting it, so that His children can walk in His truth today just as they have for centuries.

3

THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE

What Is It All About?

Written over 1,500 years, by as many as forty different authors, all of the sixty-six individual books of the Bible combine to tell a single story, the story of God’s love for humankind. It’s the story of God’s desire to enter into a “love relationship” with us-one in which He loves us and we love Him-with a passion to outrival the greatest human love stories of all time.

The first words of the Bible are, “In the beginning, God. . . .”

God is eternal and everlasting. He has always been. He will always be. At some point in time, many thousands and thousands of years ago, He decided to create the heavens and the earth-the universe as we know it, with all the galaxies and all the stars and planets hurtling through time and space. He created supernatural beings called “angels” to fill the heavens. God wanted to show His glory and majesty and wisdom and power. He wanted to share His boundless love. So He made Adam and Eve-the first man and first woman-and gave them a beautiful home in the garden of Eden, a lush paradise of perfection. God gave Adam and Eve authority over all the “beasts of the field and the birds of the air”-the animals with whom they shared the earth. He gave them the responsibility to care for their garden. He also gave them free will-the ability to think and choose for themselves what they would do, the ability to give and receive love freely. There was only one rule-one fruit of one tree that they weren’t supposed to touch. But even one rule was too much for Adam and Eve to follow. They were easily tempted and led astray. For they were not alone in the garden.

Earlier there had been a rebellion in heaven. One of the archangels, Lucifer, had sought God’s power and glory for himself. When God cast him out of heaven, Lucifer took a third of the angels with him. From then on, they were known as demons. And God made it clear that their ultimate judgment, their final punishment, was still to come. But until such time as He saw fit to end it, they would be engaged in a mighty battle of epic proportions.

For though he was powerless to take on God himself in all his glory, Lucifer saw an opportunity to hurt God-to wound His heart-by destroying the beauty of His creation and turning His precious children against Him. Lucifer found that he could fill them with greed and pride and rebellion and spur them on to defiance and disobedience. He appeared as a serpent in the garden of Eden and tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve gave it to Adam, and their innocence was lost. So was the sweet fellowship-the precious relationship-they had enjoyed with God. They were cast out of Eden. Adam and Eve and all of their descendants were sentenced to struggle and labor and pain-and eventually to face old age and death, instead of eternal life.

God was not caught off guard by this turn of events. He knew all along that given a choice, this is what the human heart would choose. But so great was His mercy and love that from the beginning He made a way to set things right. He put a plan in motion to rescue the human race-to save people from their sins and from themselves. As He sent them out of Eden, God told Adam and Eve that He would undo the damage they had done. One of their “seed”-their descendants-would do what they had not been able to do: obey. Through His obedience, He would save humankind. And He would crush the serpent forever.

Lucifer-also known as Satan or “the devil”-was free for the time being. Through the ages, he would continue to wreak havoc on creation, filling men’s hearts and minds with evil, luring them away from the God who loved them and longed to hold them close to His heart. And God would allow it to happen, because it ultimately served His purposes-to test human beings and reveal what was in their hearts, to give them a legitimate choice as to who or what they would serve, and to help His children learn and grow in their relationship with Him. (An example of this is found in the story of Job.)

Adam and Eve felt the consequences of their sin right away. They had been created to populate the earth, and they had many, many children of their own. But sadly, few of their children learned from their parents’ mistakes. Few of their children and their children’s children chose to walk with God. Too many of them fell for the devil’s lies, over and over again. Only a few generations later, the earth was full of wickedness-so much so that for a moment, God regretted ever having created human beings in the first place. He decided to wipe them all from the face of the earth-all except one righteous family. With Noah, God would start all over again. By faith, Noah built the ark just as God directed him to, and Noah and his whole family were saved. God was moved by Noah’s courage and obedience. He hung a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of His promise never to destroy the earth with a flood again.

Hundreds of years later, the evil in the world had again become overwhelming. But this time God did something different. Instead of wiping all the wicked people from the face of the earth, He chose a righteous man to start a family-a family that would become a tribe, a people, and eventually a nation-that would be set apart for God himself. Out of all the people in the world, they would be God’s people. He would teach them to know Him and to walk in His ways. He would nurture them and protect them and provide for them. He would bless those who blessed them and curse those who cursed them. God would hold them up as a shining example of what He wanted all humankind to be-an example of the kind of relationship He longed to have with all the peoples of the earth.

God chose Abraham, a man of exceptional faith and courage and conviction. He asked Abraham to leave his home and his country and everything he knew to go to a new land that God would show him, a land Abraham had never seen or heard of before. In this land, God would bless him and make him a great nation. His descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. All that Abraham had to do was trust God—receive all the blessings God wanted to give him—and walk in His ways. To seal the deal, God made a “covenant” with Abraham, a legally binding contract. And then when Abraham was 100 years old and his wife, Sarah, was 90, God gave them the first of their descendants. He gave them a child in their old age—a miracle baby, Isaac. When Isaac was a teenager, God tested Abraham’s faith in and obedience to Him. God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, to give up his only son—the child through whom God’s promises were supposed to be kept. Though he was heartbroken at the request, Abraham determined to do as God asked—only to find at the last minute that God had provided a substitute sacrifice to take Isaac’s place. This was only a hint of things to come.

God gave Isaac twin sons, Jacob and Esau. The brothers fought each other for their father’s blessing—the spiritual “birthright” belonged to Esau, but Jacob wanted it more. So the promise God made to Abraham would be fulfilled through the younger brother, not the older. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and gave him twelve sons: Reuben, Sim-eon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. Their descendants were so numerous, they became “tribes”—the twelve tribes—all of them the “children (and grandchildren and great-grandchildren) of Israel.”

Jacob (Israel) made it all too obvious that Joseph was his favorite son—and Joseph’s brothers hated him for it. They sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt and told his father he was dead. But God was with Joseph. In a series of miraculous events, Joseph went from prison inmate to prime minister, second only to the king of Egypt in wealth and power and authority. In time, Joseph forgave his brothers for what they had done to him. He brought the whole family to Egypt, where he could provide for them during a great famine. (These are the stories of the book of Genesis.)

Four hundred years later, there were over a million descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob living in Egypt. The Egyptians were afraid that these “Hebrew” people would take over their country, so they forced them into slavery. But God had not forgotten His promise to Abraham. God sent Moses to deliver the people and bring them out of slavery in Egypt, back to the land He had promised their ancestors. It took ten miraculous and horrific plagues to humble Pharaoh’s heart and convince him to let the people go. The last of these plagues was particularly poignant. God struck down the firstborn son of every living creature in the land of Egypt, saving only those of the Hebrews who marked their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. When God saw the blood, He “passed over” their houses. To this day, the Jewish people commemorate this miracle with the feast of “the Passover.” And when all was said and done, another miracle took place: the Red Sea parted, and Moses led the people across on dry land.

The children of Israel had all but forgotten their culture, their heritage, and their faith. The former slaves were not yet strong enough to stand on their own as a nation. So God led them into the desert, to test them and teach them and train them. There, He renewed with them the covenant or contract He had made with Abraham. He gave them the Ten Commandments and the “Law of Moses”—a system of justice and rituals for work, worship, and family life. These things would set them apart from the other nations of the earth and help them to set an example of the kind of purity and holiness that pleases God. God reminded the children of Israel that if they would faithfully obey His commandments, they would be His very own—His chosen people. He would bless them and protect them and provide for them.

But the people didn’t trust God; they constantly questioned Him and doubted Him. Their rebellion and disobedience turned what should have been a twelve-day trip to the Promised Land into forty years of wandering in circles under the hot desert sun. Even so, God did not abandon them. Like a loving Father, He disciplined them—and then comforted them—time and time again. God told them that although their generation would not live to see it, their children and grandchildren would inherit the Promised Land. (All of these stories are found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.)

After the death of Moses, Joshua led the people out of the desert and into Abraham’s country, Canaan, the Promised Land. As God directed them, the children of Israel drove out the heathen people living there and took possession of the land. They divided it into regions for each of the twelve tribes. God had set apart the tribe of Levi to serve Him in the tabernacle (or Tent of Meeting). So the Levites had no land of their own; instead, their families were given certain cities in the lands held by each of the other tribes. And the tribe of Joseph had come to be known by the names of his two sons. They were the half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. (This story is found in the book of Joshua.)

As time went on, the children of Israel continued to waver in their faith and their commitment to God. When they wandered away from Him and disobeyed Him, He allowed their enemies to triumph over them in battle, to capture them and enslave them—just as He had said He would. But when they repented of their sins, when they returned to God and cried out to Him for deliverance, He rescued them—just as He had said He would. From time to time, God sent His people “judges”—mighty warriors like Samson, Gideon, and Deborah to deliver them from the hands of their enemies, to administer justice, and then to preside over the people in times of peace. (These are the stories of the book of Judges.)

It was in the days of the judges that a young Moabite widow came to know the God of Israel through the faith of her mother-in-law. She also became a living example of God’s power to rescue, redeem, and restore. (This is the story of the book of Ruth.)

Another woman brought her miracle baby—a long-awaited answer to prayer—to the tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting) to dedicate him to the service of God. As a child, Samuel first heard the voice of God calling to him in the middle of the night. He would grow up to become a great prophet and judge over all Israel. But as Samuel’s days were drawing to an end, the people of Israel decided they no longer wanted to be led by a judge who was a servant of an invisible King (God). They wanted an earthly king, a human king, like those of the nations around them.

God told Samuel to give the people what they asked for—exactly what they wanted. On the outside, Saul appeared to be everything a king should be. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He had a commanding presence and an air of authority. But on the inside, he was weak, jealous, greedy, and proud. His heart was not committed to God. Eventually, King Saul descended into madness, and a shepherd boy took his throne.

David was “the least of his brothers” in age, in appearance, and in strength. But he was a king on the inside, where it counts—a man of courage and character and integrity, a man “after God’s own heart.” Though he was far from perfect, David never lost his passion for God, his commitment or desire to please Him. As a teenager, with nothing more than a slingshot, David defeated the giant Goliath. He went on to become a mighty warrior and Israel’s greatest king. (These stories are told in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles.) David also wrote beautiful songs of praise and worship—heartfelt prayers—that have touched the lives of millions of people from that day to this. (These are found in the book of Psalms.)

David’s son, King Solomon, was the wisest man and the wealthiest king the world has ever seen. He compiled all the wisdom God had given him and others to share with the generations to come. (These are the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.) And Solomon fulfilled his father’s greatest dream by building a magnificent temple—no longer a tent—in which the children of Israel could meet to worship God.

Sadly, Solomon’s son lacked his father’s wisdom. Rehoboam’s foolishness—his arrogance and pride—literally tore the country apart. Only the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam and agreed to serve him as king. Their region became known as Judah, the southern kingdom. The other ten tribes chose to follow one of Solomon’s advisors, Jeroboam, as the new king of Israel, the northern kingdom. One people, divided into two countries, with two separate kings.

At times Judah and Israel were at war with each other; at times they were at peace. At times they obeyed God and kept His commandments— particularly when their kings were righteous men who faithfully served God. But when their kings were wicked men, men who flouted God’s commandments and worshiped idols instead, the people did the same. God sent the prophets Elijah and Elisha to demonstrate His mighty power—His infinite superiority to their worthless idols—and to urge them to return to Him once more. (These stories can be found in 1 and 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.)

Even when His people turned their backs on Him, God didn’t turn His back on them. He remembered the promise He had made to Adam and Eve, to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. He remembered the covenant He had made with the children of Israel, even if they didn’t. So in spite of their rejection of Him, their rebellion against Him, He never abandoned them. He sent many prophets—messengers—to remind the people of how much He loved them, of all the things He had done for them, and of all that they had promised to do for Him. God’s prophets made it very clear just where the people had gone wrong, what it was that displeased God, and how they could make things right. They reminded the people that their Messiah was coming, their Deliverer was on the way. In the meantime, the prophets warned the people that if they didn’t turn from their sin, God would allow them to suffer the consequences. He would discipline them. In fact, He would even remove His blessing, His protection from them, and let them face their enemies on their own. (These are the messages of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.)

Sometimes the people took the words of the prophets to heart. They repented—temporarily. But ultimately, the people would not listen. They would not turn away from their sin. And so God allowed their enemies to triumph over them. The kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC and ceased to exist. Judah was conquered by the Babylonian Empire in 586 BC. The beautiful temple Solomon had built was desecrated and destroyed, the towns and villages burned to the ground, and most of the people killed or carried off in chains.

Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet,” cried out to God in agony, expressing his people’s heartache and despair. At the same time, he remembered that God had predicted that all of this would take place. And God had promised that after a time—seventy years, to be precise—His people would be set free. They would see their homeland again. (This is the message of Jeremiah and Lamentations.) Furthermore, God had not forgotten His promise to send a Messiah, a Deliverer, who would set His people free once and for all.

God’s people were humbled by what had happened to them. Living in exile, a remnant struggled to remain true to Him, to keep His commandments, and to be a light in the dark world that surrounded them. These people discovered that God was still with them, even in their captivity. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused the king’s command to bow before a massive idol. As punishment, they were thrown into a fiery furnace—and lived to tell about it! Daniel continued his ministry of intercession and prayer, even when it was outlawed. He survived a night in the lion’s den. (These stories are found in the book of Daniel.) And an orphaned Jewish girl named Esther won the world’s most famous beauty pageant. She became the Queen of Persia. Her position gave her the power and influence to foil a secret plot to annihilate the entire Jewish race. (This is the story of the book of Esther.)

Exactly seventy years after they were exiled, a Persian king named Cyrus gave permission for any of God’s people who so desired to return to their homeland. They were allowed to resettle and rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the temple of their God. Among the settlers was Ezra, a scribe and priest who carefully instructed the people in God’s law. A few years later, Ezra was joined by Nehemiah, a man who had been the king’s cupbearer in Babylon. Newly appointed as the governor of Jerusalem, Nehemiah supervised the rebuilding of the city walls. (These are the stories found in Ezra and Nehemiah.)

Throughout this time, God continued to speak words of instruction, correction, and encouragement through His prophets. (These are the messages of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.)

Then came the “silent years”—over four hundred of them—when God said nothing. Empires rose and fell. God’s people continued to live in the land He had given them. But they never regained the prosperity—or independence—of their past. Their country was occupied; they were ruled by “puppet kings,” clearly under the authority and control of the Roman Empire. Now more than ever, they longed for their Messiah, the Deliverer God had promised who would set them free. Decades passed. Centuries passed. And nothing happened. There were no visions, no prophets or prophecies, no miracles, nothing.

Some grew tired of waiting. They gave up, bitterly concluding that God had forsaken them. Some tried to bring about their own deliverance through religious or political reform. Others simply got caught up in the dailiness of living. They had jobs to do, bills to pay, kids to raise. They were too busy for what must have seemed like fairy tales or wishful thinking. Nothing even remotely miraculous had ever happened in their lifetime—or their parents’ or grandparents’ or great-grandparents’. It was as hard for them to believe the supernatural stories of the Old Testament as it can be for some today. Somehow it just didn’t seem real. A remnant remained faithful. A few watched and waited. And waited. And waited.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son . . .” (Gal. 4:4, ESV).

The angel Gabriel appeared to a young woman named Mary and told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of God’s Son. God sent Jesus to do what Adam had failed to do—to live a life of perfect obedience to God. Jesus set the example for all humankind. And He did so much more. He explained where God’s people had gotten off track, how they had become consumed with the outward appearance of holiness—following all the rules and regulations to a T—when God wanted purity in their hearts. He told them that God wanted to establish a new covenant—a new contract—with His people, this one based not on following God’s law but living in His love. They would be God’s people, not because they followed His commandments perfectly (something they could never do anyway) but because they trusted in His Son—whose obedience to God would count for everyone.

In the thirty-three years of His earthly ministry, Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, and calmed the storms. He called a group of disciples to follow Him, twelve especially: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew (Nathanael), Matthew (Levi), James the younger, Simon, Thaddeus, and Judas. They would be His witnesses, testifying to all that they had seen and heard when they were with Him and carrying on His ministry after He had gone.

And then Jesus willingly laid down His life. He took the punishment for the sins of the world. Just as He had with Abraham and Isaac, God had provided a substitute. To save His people, He sacrificed His One and Only Son. Everyone who believed in Him and trusted in Him would be “covered” by the blood of Jesus. That is, God would see the blood of the sacrificial Lamb—the Lamb of God—and would “pass over” the people’s sins and forgive them.

Jesus was brutally crucified—He suffered and died. But then on the third day, He rose from the dead in power and glory. He appeared to His disciples for forty days afterward, preparing them to carry on the work of the kingdom of God. Then He ascended into heaven, leaving them with the task of spreading the good news—proclaiming His salvation. He also gave them some very precious promises of His own. Jesus promised He would send God’s Holy Spirit to give them the power to build His kingdom here on earth. He said that He himself would be with them in Spirit—He would never leave them or forsake them. And one day, He promised, He would come again. This time He would be coming for His own, gathering everyone who has believed in Him to live with Him in heaven forever. (The stories of Jesus are found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.)

Just as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit moved powerfully through the early church, the first Christians, as they carried out the Great Com-mission: preaching the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone who would listen. People of many different cultures and countries answered God’s call, finding their way to Him through His Son. Thousands and thousands became true believers.

The enemies of God were horrified and tried to put a stop to it. But their attempts backfired. The more suffering and persecution the church faced, the faster and stronger it grew. People were drawn to a truth so powerful, a faith so real, a relationship so precious, that it was worth dying for. Saul was a Jewish leader who arrested and even executed many of the first Christians. But on the road to Damascus, he had a miraculous encounter with Jesus himself—and his life was turned upside down. Saul became Paul, the most famous apostle and Christian missionary. He traveled thousands of miles to preach the gospel in Europe and Asia and the Middle East. He endured every kind of persecution and suffering himself, for the privilege of sharing with others the life-changing power of knowing Jesus and trusting in Him. (These stories are told in the book of Acts.)

As he traveled from place to place, Paul kept in contact with the churches he had founded. As God gave him wisdom, Paul wrote them letters of encouragement and instruction. Sometimes he explained difficult doctrinal or theological issues; other times he offered very practical advice on family and church life. (These letters include Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.) The churches that received these letters often shared them with others, passing them on from one town or village, from one congregation to another.

Paul also wrote letters to individuals, to young pastors Timothy and Titus and to Philemon, the owner of a runaway slave. (These letters are 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.) And he may have written a powerful sermon on the role of Jesus as our “high priest”—how He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies and the mediator of our new covenant with God. (This is the book of Hebrews.)

Paul wasn’t the only one writing down all the wisdom God had given him to share with the church. James, one of Jesus’ younger brothers and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, wrote that “faith without works is dead” and that our actions speak louder than our words. (This is the book of James.) Peter, one of the original twelve disciples, wrote several letters encouraging the church to stand strong in times of suffering. (These are 1 and 2 Peter.) Jude, another of Jesus’ brothers, warned believers to watch out for false teachers. And likewise, John the Beloved, who also wrote the gospel that bears his name, urged believers to resist worldliness and false teachings and to walk in the light of God’s love. (These letters are 1, 2, and 3 John.)

John was the only one of the twelve disciples to live to be an old, old man—nearly all of the others died a martyr’s death. Almost at the end of his life, living in exile on the isle of Patmos, John suddenly had a magnificent vision—a revelation—of how the world would end, how Jesus would come again, and how God would create a glorious new heaven and a new earth, a paradise for His people that would never end. (This is the message of the book of Revelation.)

John’s prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. God’s people waited thousands of years for Jesus to come to earth the first time. And it has been more than two thousand years since He left, promising that He would come again.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.(2 Peter 3:8–9)

After all these years, God’s heart toward humankind is the same. It’s a heart of love. To this day, He longs for each and every one of us to come to know Him—to receive the love that He has for us and to give Him our love in return.

Down through the ages and to this very day, those who are His keep their eyes on the skies . . . for, “Behold, I am coming soon!” (Revelation 22:12).

4

THE OLD TESTAMENT

Book by Book

GENESIS

The Book: Genesis

The Author: Moses

The Audience: The people of God

The Setting: The lands of the Middle East, 1450 BC-1400 BC

The Story: Genesis means “beginnings.” This is the story of how it all began-how God created the world and all who live in it, and how He chose from them a people for His very own. There were problems right from the start, but God had a plan. It would take centuries, but over time His plan would unfold, His purposes would be revealed, and His promises would be fulfilled-every last one.

The Message: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (1:1). In the first five days, He puts the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. He separates the seas from dry land and covers the land with living, growing things-plants and animals. Then on the sixth day, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (1:27). On the seventh day, He rests. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (1:31). God gives Adam and Eve-the first man and first woman-a beautiful home in the garden of Eden, a paradise of perfection. He also gives them authority over all the “beasts of the field and all the birds of the air.” He gives them the responsibility to care for the garden and the gift of His presence, His friendship. There is only one rule, one fruit of one tree that they aren’t supposed to touch. But even one rule is too much for Adam and Eve to follow. Satan-the devil-appears as a serpent and tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve gives it to Adam, and their innocence is lost. So is the sweet fellowship-the precious friendship-they have enjoyed with God. Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden. As a result of their sin, they and all of their descendants are sentenced to struggle and labor and pain- eventually to face old age and death, instead of eternal life (3:1-24). But God is merciful. He promises to punish the serpent for his part in the fall of man and to make a way to reconcile humankind to Himself. God tells the snake, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (3:15). Adam and Eve feel the consequences of their sin right away. Life is much harder than they ever imagined it could be. Created to populate the earth, they have many, many children. But few of their children learn from their parents’ mistakes. In a fit of jealousy and rage, their first son Cain murders his brother Abel (4:1-16). Few of Adam and Eve’s other children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren chose to walk with God.