Beginner's Bible Study Blog

Beginner's Bible Study--Session Five

2012-02-16T14:12:00.001-08:00

Beginner’s Bible Study Blog-Session Five

Books of Poetry/Wisdom

The five books of poetry and wisdom fall exactly in the middle of the Old Testament. There are 17 books before Job and 17 books after the Song of Solomon. Here is a quick way to remember the content of each of the five books:

Job—a book for those who are suffering

Psalms—a book to help us express ourselves to God

Proverbs—a book of timeless advice for living life

Ecclesiastes—a book that’s not afraid to look at the downside of life

Song of Solomon—a book that gives a God’s-eye-view of sex

Each of these books is written in a different Hebrew poetic style, not like the English form of poetry such as “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again.” Rhyme isn’t important in Hebrew poetry. The books prior to Job and following Song of Solomon follow a prose style rather than poetry. Prose applies ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech. The poetic literature involves higher concentrations of words and phrases with rare meanings or usages or simply rare words and phrases themselves. Free Rhythm and Parallelism are two of the significant signs of Hebrew poetry.

Job begins with a prose introduction and ends with a prose conclusion. The bulk of the book is poetry. The book begins with these words in Job 1:1, “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from Evil.” Satan visits God and tells him that he is protecting Job. Satan is given permission to test Job to see how strong his belief really is. Job loses everything but his life. Eliphaz, Bildad, Sophar, and Elihuh try to convince Job to turn his back on God. All the reasons of suffering are discussed. Check out Job’s response in Job 42:1-6 and ask how yourself how you might respond to God after so much suffering?

Psalms is the largest book in the Bible. It is full of lyrical poetry. These poetic Psalms spring from people’s encounter with God in the midst of worldly and heavenly experiences. The song that Jesus sang with his disciples at the Last Supper (Mark 14:26) was probably part of Psalms 115-118. On the cross Jesus was remembering Psalm 22:1 when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalms means praises. It is one of the most loved books of the Bible. You’ll probably recognize these three Psalms when you read them now: Psalm 23 Psalm 100 Psalm 8

Proverbs is probably the oldest of the five poetic/wisdom books. King Solomon has been connected as the official founder of wisdom literature. Under his reign Israel flourished and grew in art, religion, and worship. The literary style of Proverbs is the mashal, literally the comparison or parable, consisting of two parallel lines. Proverbs 9:10-“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs are teachings of wise people boiled down to their memorable essence. Biblical proverbs are based on the Lord-on loving God and obeying him. In the New Testament, the book of James is similar in practical wisdom to Proverbs.

Ecclesiastes contains no mention of Israel’s past and their institutions. The person speaking is called the Preacher in 1:1. He functions as a critic and or debater. His major function is to analyze a view of life, probe its standard assertions, and expose the weaknesses. Ecclesiastes may have been written by the wisdom elite as a reaction to the simplistic answers of Proverbs. A favorite scripture passage from Ecclesiastes comes from 3:1-15. Take some time to read it now.

Song of Solomon is another book that seems connected or dedicated to King Solomon. It is written like a song a bridegroom might sing. It has been looked as an allegory, a celebration of human love, or the cultural liturgies of pre-Israel built upon ancient myths of those people. It is the most sexual book of the bible. The book never mentions God. The women or bride has the leading role. To get a sense of the earthiness of Song of Solomon read 4:1-7.

At the end of each session we are asking you to turn to a passage of scripture and read and reflect on four questions:

1. What do I think this passage means for those who read it the first time?

2. What does this passage mean for me right now?

3. What are you going to do or how are you going to act differently in the future as a result of what this passage says?

4. What questions do I have about this passage that I need clarification on?

Please read the following from the Book of Proverbs: 9:10, 11:22, & 10:1

*The Beginner's Bible Study Blog would like to acknowledge the following sources in creation of this study: Downloading the Bible by Jonathan Brant, The True Story of the Whole World by Craig G. Bartholomew & Michael Goheen and The Layman’s Bible Commentary, Volumes 8, 9,& 10

Beginner's Bible Study Blog-Session Four

2012-01-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

Beginner’s Bible Study Blog-Session Four

The book of Judges deals with the period of time following Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan. The land has been divided into tribes and family groups. Judges is concerned with social and national issues as a new nation is born. Conflicts arise as the faith of the Israelite people is strained by the assimilation of the original inhabitants and the continuous interference of nations surrounding this new Israel. The second concern surrounds the conflict of one God (monotheism) with the multiple gods/goddesses of agriculture and sex that the Canaanite people worshipped.

These conflicts lead to a pattern of repetition for hundreds of years in Israel’s history.

Israel sins by going awhoring after the Baal’s (gods of Canaanite people) and forsaking God.
God sends judgment in the form of invasion by some marauding hosts (example: Philistines)
Israel repents and cries to God.
God raises up a “judge” or “savior.”

The Judges were raised up by God from among the tribes to respond to a specific interference from the outside world. There was no central capital of Israel during this period of time. There are 14 judges. One is a women.

Othneil: Judges 3:7-11

Ehud: Judges 3:12-30 Shamgar: Judges 3:31

Deborah & Barak: Judges 4:1-5:31 Gideon & Abimelech: Judges 6:1-12:7)

Tola & Jair: Judges 10:1-5 Jephthah: Judges 10:6-12:7

Ibzan, Elon, & Abdon: Judges 12:8-15 Samson: Judges 13:1-16:31

The Book of Ruth fits in the time period of the judges and reflects the customs and conditions of those early days of life in the budding Israel. The three major characters are Naomi (mother-in-law), Ruth (daughter-in-law), and Boaz (close relative of Naomi). This is a wonderful story concerning building blocks of this covenant community: Inheritance, Property, and Name. Settle in and open your Bible and read the entire book of Ruth. Then answer the following questions

Why does Ruth go with Naomi?
Is there something to be learned from the reaping and harvesting practices of yesteryear for our world today?
Why does having a Name mean so much in the Israelite history and is there something in this custom that might be of worth in today’s world?
Turn to Matthew 1 and Luke 3 (beginning at verse 23) and find the significance of this story.

I Samuel through 11 Chronicles represents a time in Israel’s history where Kings instead of Judges were in leadership. Samuel is the last of the Judges (I Samuel 7:15) and the people of Israel demanded that he appoint a king over them. (1 Samuel 8) Samuel warms them that a king will develop a draft and slavery and tax systems. Israel was quite stubborn and refused to listen to him. The 3 kings to serve the unified nation were Saul, David, and Solomon. The capital quickly became Jerusalem under King David and the nation grew strongest and largest under Solomon who also built the first temple. Following Solomon’s death the nation of Israel divided itself into two kingdoms. Judah was the southern kingdom whose capital remained in Jerusalem and whose kings all were descended from David. Israel was the northern kingdom whose capital moved around and succession of kings followed a pattern of overthrow by the army.

The northern kingdom of Israel was defeated by invading armies in 722 BCE and the southern kingdom of Judah in 597 BCE. Key leaders and families were sent into exile and the temple and capitals were destroyed. Israelites who were able to remain in the area of their ancestors began to merge the customs and cultures of their neighbors. In approximately 539 BCE Cyrus II of Persia in an effort to cultivate goodwill begins to let subject people return to their homelands and rebuild temples. The books of Ezra & Nehemiah tell the story of this rebuilding in Jerusalem and a purging of a hybrid Judaism that had sprung up in the homeland.

Esther is the final Old Testament book deals with the history of the nation of Israel that began with the book of Joshua. The Persian king’s name is Ahasuerus. Principle characters in addition to the king include: Queen Vashti, Mordecai, Esther, & Haman. God is not mentioned by name in this book. It is a wonderful story of romance, determination, revenge, hope, family, and faith. Enjoy!

At the end of each session we are asking you to turn to a passage of scripture and read and reflect on four questions:

1. What do I think this passage means for those who read it the first time?

2. What does this passage mean for me right now?

3. What are you going to do or how are you going to act differently in the future as a result of what this passage says?

4. What questions do I have about this passage that I need clarification on?

Read the following Bible Passage using the above formula: The entire book of Esther.

You are invited to post your comments or question on the Beginner’s Bible Study Blog and join us in person once a month on the first Sunday of the month following worship to discuss this blog further.

Beginner’s Bible Study Blog-Session Three

2011-12-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

The books of Genesis through Esther tell the story of the history of Israel. This history spans perhaps thousands of years from creation’s beginning seconds all the way through Israel’s return from exile. The return from exile was about 400 years before Jesus was born.

If you’ve ever watched the movie Ground Hog Day you have a good idea what happens within these 17 different books of the Bible. A vicious circle transpires. Here is the basic plot:

1. -The people of God follow God’s ways

2. -They demand something of God. If they don’t get it they find a way to get it.

3. -A person or a nation sins and they choose not to live in God’s ways.

4. -Trials and tribulations follow.

5. -A person or a nation cries out in repentance for their wicked ways.

6. -The people of God follow God’s ways.

Example:

1. Israel follows God through the midst of the Red Sea and the Egyptian armies are destroyed. They give thanks to God. Exodus 14

2. They become hungry and thirsty in the wilderness and demand that God take of them. Exodus 15:22-16:31

3. God does take care of them with food and water but it isn’t enough. They choose to build a golden calf to worship. Exodus 32

4. Death and destruction follow. Exodus 32:26-35

5. Stiffed necked people repent. Exodus 33:1-6

6. The people again follow God’s ways. Exodus 33:7-34:35

This vicious cycle is repeated in the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and his brothers, King David and Bathsheba, the nations of Judah and Israel, the plot lines of most of the rulers of Judah and Israel, and many others. This cycle didn’t disappear in history. It is alive and growing today. That is why it is important for us to study the Bible and learn from the mistakes and the deep faith of those that served God.

Can you think of ways that you’re connected with a similar vicious cycle in your life today? Examples: Ignoring prayer, substance abuse, gossiping, joining the crowd and the peers rather than faith’s way. Take time to think about hurtful cycles in your life today. Writing them below might help you in your daily spiritual walk.

The good news is that eventually God did break the Israelites from their cycle and didn’t let them rot forever. He gave them and us the free gift of Jesus Christ.

Important term: Covenant. Covenant in the Old Testament is an agreement between God and the people of Israel. . “If you follow me and obey my commandments you are my people and I will do the following. If you fail to live up to your terms of the covenant, this will follow.” God considered Israel his chosen people. This covenant was first was established with Abraham in Genesis 15. The Old Testament spends the bulk of its time on examining this covenant relationship.

Historical Timeline

o Abraham and Sarah leave their families and travel west to the area of present day Israel. God promises them that their generations would be blessed.

o Sarah gives birth to Isaac.

o Isaac marries Rebekkah and they have two sons, Esau and Jacob.

o Jacob and his mother trick Esau into giving his birth right away to Jacob.

o Jacob and his wives Leah and Rachel produce the children that become the 12 tribes of Israel.

o Joseph is sold by his brothers and ends up as a slave in Israel.

o He rises to power and eventually brings his father and brother’s family to live in Egypt while there is a great famine.

o After Joseph dies, the people are made slaves in Egypt.

o Exodus: Moses is born, placed in a basket and dumped into the water, and is discovered by a princess of Egypt.

o Moses rises to power kills a man and flees Egypt. He is gone from the land nearly 40 years.

o God meets him at the burning bush and sends him to Pharaoh to proclaim, “Let my people go!”

o Plagues, Crossing the Red Sea, the 10 Commandments, the Ark of the Covenant, choosing of Joshua as leader

o Joshua: Joshua leads the people into the Promised Land.

o Stories of Rehab, the destruction of Jericho, siege of the land, the sun stands still, dividing up the land into the 12 tribes of Israel.

The leaders of Israel through the time of Joshua looked after the Spiritual and Physical needs of the people of God. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Joshua served in this role. You might call them God’s judges. God has told the people of Israel, “I am your God and you are my people. If you follow my ways, I’ll take care of you.” In session four we will begin to explore how the people of Israel transitioned from judges to kings and the differences in type of leadership and covenant responsibility.

At the end of each session we are asking you to turn to a passage of scripture and read and reflect on four questions:

1. What do I think this passage means for those who read it the first time?

2. What does this passage mean for me right now?

3. What are you going to do or how are you going to act differently in the future as a result of what this passage says?

4. What questions do I have about this passage that I need clarification on?

Read the following Bible Passage using the above formula: Joshua 24:1-28

Beginner’s Bible Study Blog-Lesson Two

2011-11-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

The Bible begins with these words, “In the beginning God……”. We know right away who the main character is! But who is God? How do we find that out?

Take a moment and go to Google and find a site that list the ‘meaning of first names’.

Gary originally comes from Germany and means ‘spear carrier.’ Abigail, my oldest daughter has a Hebrew name which means, ‘source of joy’. Lisa, my spouse, has a name with Biblical roots as well, and her name means ‘devoted to God’. What does your name mean?

In the Bible, particularly in the Biblical world, names are important. In Genesis chapter 1, the Hebrew word Elohim (translated simply as God in English Bibles) is the general name used for God throughout the ancient world. The Bible says that Elohim (God) brings the whole creation into existence out of nothing. But in Genesis 2:4, the Biblical writers introduce another name for God. God is called “the Lord God” (Yahweh Elohim). This means something!

If you turn in your Bibles to Exodus 3 and Exodus 6:1-12 you find two stories. The first is about God revealing himself to Moses and the second is when God calls Moses to lead the people out of Israel. God chooses the name Yahweh to identify himself as the divine Redeemer, the God who rescues people.

In Genesis 2:4 Yahweh (Lord) and Elohim (God) are linked together to make the point that it is the same God who rescues Israel and who created all things. The Bible is both God’s story and our story today. We come to know God through the saving work of the Son, Jesus, who rescues us from sin. But God is also the Creator of all that was, or is, or shall be. Our individual stories of life and salvation begin in a similar way, “In the beginning God…….”.

Genesis 1:26-Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image.” Who is the us referring too? Take a moment to read in the New Testament John 1:1-17 to find the answer.

There are two creation stories in Genesis chapters 1 & 2. In Genesis 1 you find an image filled story of the creation of everything that is. Genesis 2 finds the Bible zeroing in on humankind. The Bible is only interested in saying one primary thing about the formation of the world and life; God did it! Humans and science can try to tell us just how that happened.

The name Genesis means beginnings. If you scan the book of Genesis you will find the beginnings of these things and many more:

1. Creation Genesis 1 & 2

2. Men and women Genesis 1 & 2

3. Origin story of help mates/marriages Genesis 2

4. First sin Genesis 3

5. Origin of pain in child birth and daily hard work Genesis 3

6. First murder Genesis 4

7. First offering Genesis 4

8. Beginnings of Civilization Genesis 4

9. Origins of Evil in all of humankind Genesis 6

10. The Flood and restoration of goodness Genesis 7 & 8

11. God’s Covenant with Noah and the world Genesis 9

12. Nations Established Genesis 9

13. Origin of languages Genesis 11

14. Beginning and Foundation Stories of the people of Israel Genesis 12 – 26

15. Establishment of the 12 tribes of Israel Genesis 29-26

In the opening chapters of Genesis we read that humans were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

We were the crown of God’s creative activity. That was no accident. But what does image of God mean? In what ways are we like God? Obviously we can’t be God’s physical image because we’re humans and God is Spirit. What the Bible paints, from Genesis through Revelation, is that we are most like God when we share God’s love. We are the only ones of God’s creatures capable of loving simply for the sake of loving and not because of what we will or hope to receive in return. We have freedom to make this choice and we can choose to be responsible (dominion) with this love.

At the end of each session we are asking you to turn to a passage of scripture and read and reflect on four questions:

1. What do I think this passage means for those who read it the first time?

2. What does this passage mean for me right now?

3. What are you going to do or how are you going to act differently in the future as a result of what this passage says?

4. What questions do I have about this passage that I need clarification on?

Read the following Bible Passage using he above formula: Exodus 20: 1-17

*The Beginner's Bible Study Blog would like ot acknowledge the following sources in creation of this study: Downloading the Bible by Jonathan Brant, The True Story of the Whole World by Craig G. Bartholomew & Michael Goheen, and Come, Be My Promise (Confirmation material) by William F. Skinner

Session One: Introduction

2011-10-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Imagine for a moment that you and a friend are both sitting with your backs to a third person. The two of you have drawing easels in front of you and the 3^rd person, whom you can’t see, is giving you directions on how to draw a picture of an object in their hand. They are to do this without telling you what the object is or what it is used for. You are not allowed to ask questions. What would your drawing look like if you didn’t know you were really drawing a tiger, and ocean liner, or a stained glass window? We suspect that you would be a little frustrated and confused.

When we read the Bible there are times when everything seems clear but there are also times when we really have no idea what God has drawn for us. In this introduction to the Bible course, we will try with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to give you a basic understanding of the contents and some tips on how to develop some clarity when reading the Bible.

Open your Bible to the index and try to read aloud all the books of the Bible?

How many books are there in the entire Bible?
How many of those books listed in the Old Testament?
How many books are listed in the New Testament?

The Old Testament covers a time period from the beginning of the creation of everything up until several hundred years before Jesus was born. The New Testament begins about a year before Jesus was born and then reaches out depending on which scholar you believe to between 70 & 120 CE (Common/Christian era).

You can divide up the Bible into different classifications of literature the following way:

Law Books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

History: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

Poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs

Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Gospels: Mathew, Mark, Luke, John

History: Acts

Paul’s Letters: Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon

Other Letters: Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude

Prophecy: Revelation

Is the Bible written by God or is the Bible just a big old book written by humans to press flowers in or to hold doors open? The Bible was written by many different human beings. They all had different personalities, interests, and differences that reveal themselves in the books. Some of the authors were scholars with hot resumes and others were people you surely wouldn’t give your school term paper to write for you. Take a few moments to look up the following scriptures to discover what the Bible itself says about the authors:

II Timothy 3:16

Luke 1:1-4

Jeremiah 36:1-2

2 Peter 1:20-21

I Corinthians 16:19-21

Bible Reading

At the end of each session we’ll ask you to turn to a passage of scripture and read it and reflect on four questions:

1. What do I think this passage meant for those who read it the first time?

2. What does this passage mean for me right now?

3. What are you going to do or how are you going to act differently in the future as a result of what this passage says?

4. What questions do I have about this passage that I need clarification on?

Bible Passage: Genesis chapters 1 & 2

You are invited to post your comments or questions on the Beginners Bible Study Blog and to join us in person once a month on the first Sunday of the month following worship to discuss this blog further.

New Initiative in Bible Study at Cross Roads Soon to Be Unveiled!

2011-09-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

     Beginning, Wednesday, October 12th Gary and Lisa hope to have on the www.crcpc.org web site a much requested on-line Bible Study for Beginners. This study has been requested by members and friends who feel like they are babes when it comes to knowing basics about the Bible.
     It is designed so that participants can engage the study at the most opportune time for them. Here is how it will work. You will need to enter the Beginner’s Bible Study Blog by clicking on that large button on the church’s home page at www.crcpc.org. Once there you will be given instructions on how to view and interact with the study. A new study comment will be posted periodically and participants will have the opportunity to meet with Lisa or Gary in person on the first Sunday of each month following worship at 11 AM for a brief question and answer time.
     The pastors will be using several basic resources to provide material for this study including but not limited to these materials: "Downloading the Bible" published by Zondervan and "The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama" by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen. Please be patient with us as we develop this. We are having to create this blog and process from scratch.
     If you provide us with your e-mail address or cell phone number we will let you know when the newest blog study is posted for you.

Beginner's Bible Blog

2011-03-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

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