Tag: Old Testament

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Bible Challenge Week 33: The Prophets – Daniel

“Daniel in the Lion’s Den” is one of the first Bible stories every child knows.  His book contains more biographical material than any other prophet except Jonah: we know his social class, his country of origin, his career, his titles.  He was an aristocrat, an administrator, a seer, and an exile.  His story is much like Joseph’s, although his perilous pit occured near the end of life rather than the beginning.

His prophesies are very different from the rest of the Majors and Minors–they actually foretell the future!  Even if somewhat cryptically.  Daniel’s visions are called “apocryphal” because they foretell cataclysmic events in an undetermined future time–maybe even the end of time.  Without getting caught up in the meaning of mixed-metal statues and multi-mouthed beasts, we can appreciate that Daniel’s life occurs near one of those hinges of history: the last, or almost the last, prophetic voice to speak before a long stretch of silence.  And then the prophesies begin to come true . . .

For this week’s reading challenge, with scripture references, discussion questions, and activities, click below:

Bible Reading Challenge 33: The Prophets – Daniel

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 32: the Prophets – Ezekiel

Next: Week 34: Messiah I – the Forerunner

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Bible Challenge Week 29: The Prophets – Micah and Isaiah

Time is running out for the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Amos and Hosea tried to warn them, but would they listen?  Noooo.  But Judah, in the south, has no reason to feel smug.  In fact, Judah is about to be visited by two of their own iconic prophets, who will let them know that they’re not so special.

We’re not so special either.  How many times do we have to be told?  For instance, the United States is operating at a budget deficit that’s 30% higher than last year’s, and the national debt is literally beyond imagining  (and I’m not one of those writers that uses “literally” figuratively).  We’ve been told, and told, and told that a crisis is at hand, and nobody is doing anything about it except talk.  Unlike journalists and bureaucrats, however, the Lord is plain about what should be done.  “What does the Lord require of you?” asks Micah.  There is an answer.

And there’s a further plan, far in the future.  Thank God.

For a .pdf download of this week’s Bible challenge, with scripture passages, thought questions, and activities, click below:

Bible Reading Challenge Week 29: The Prophets – Micah and Isaiah

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 28: The Prophets – Jonah, Amos, Hosea

Next: Week 30: The Prophets – Disaster!

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Bible Challenge Week 25: The Kingdom – Wisdom

Job asked, “Where is wisdom to be found?”  It’s a good question, but an even better question might be, “What is ‘wisdom’?”  These days we hear the adjective more than the noun: wise woman, wise words, wise government officials–well, admittedly, we don’t hear those words in combination too much.  I wonder if that says something about our times: we understand the characteristics of wisdom (what it looks like) without understanding it.

The Bible doesn’t make that mistake.  A quick glance at my concordance shows many more references to wisdom than to wise, which only makes sense.  The main character of the Bible is the source of wisdom.

Still, what is it?  This week’s survey of Job, Psalms, and Proverbs is aimed at answering that question.  (We’ll look at Ecclesiastes next week, and as for the Song of Songs, I’m not wise enough to fit that one in!)  For this week’s scripture passages, discussion questions, and activities, click below:

Bible Reading Challenge Week 25: The Kingdom – Wisdom

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 24: The Kingdom – Solomon and the Temple

Next: Week 26: The Kingdom – Failure!

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Bible Challenge, Week 19: The Nation – Samuel

After the chaos of Judges, the LORD is ready to move Israel to a new phase of history.  They’ve exhausted themselves by “every man doing what was right in his own eyes,” and they seem to recognize it.  They need leadership, direction, identity: “Give us a King, so we might be like the other nations!”

Of course, they already have an identity in the Holy One of Israel, but that’s just not immediate enough.  You know?  It’s too abstract, even though they still have the tabernacle and a priest and well-defined rituals.  They still need a person.  And maybe we’re not so different, even now: we need a Person to look to and identify with.  That Person is coming, but first he will be personified in a succession of kings.  And a transitional figure emerges, vital enough to have two books of the Bible named for him . . .

To read more click below for the .pdf with scripture readings, questions, and activities:

Bible Reading Challenge, Week 19: The Nation – Samuel

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 18: The Nation – Ruth

Next: Week 20: The Nation – Saul

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Bible Challenge, Week 18: The Nation – Ruth

After all the mayhem of the book of Judges, Ruth is a sweet breeze blowing from the barley fields surrounding the House of Bread (or as it’s better known, Bethlehem).  It’s reassuring that even in times of war and strife, normal life goes on.  But Ruth is also a sweet story, a lovely example of ancient literary storytelling, and a significant link in the redemption story.

To see how, read on.  Here’s the .pdf of this week’s study, including scripture passages to read, questions to discuss, and activities:

Bible Reading Challenge, Week 18: The Nation – Ruth

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 17: The Nation – Failure!

Next: Week 19: The Nation – Samuel

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Bible Challenge, Week 17: The Nation – Failure!

All that the LORD commands us, we will do.”  That’s the solemn promise of God’s own people, first to Moses and then to Joshua.  But, as we’ll soon see, they couldn’t even keep the first commandment.  (By the way, do you remember what the First Commandment is?)  I find the book of Judges to be one of the most depressing books of the Bible, with some of the most appalling stories.  Samson’s pathetic decline isn’t the half of it.

But perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to judge the third and fourth generations of God’s own people.  We often assume they deserted their God for the pagan deities of Canaan, but that’s probably not the case.  More likely, they kept the Tabernacle and the sacrificial rites and the feast days and so on, but added a few other practices too.  Just to keep from offending the local gods.  They may not have seen this as blatant disobedience; it just made sense at the time.

But the results were tragic.  To find out why, click the link below for a printable download with this week’s reading passages, questions, and activities:

Bible Reading Challenge Week 17: The Nation – Failure!

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 16: The Nation – Home at Last

Next: Week 18: The Nation – Ruth

 

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Bible Challenge, Week 16: The Nation – Home at Last

Did you catch the change in headings from last week to this week?  We’re no longer talking about “the people,” but “the Nation.”  By crossing the Jordan, Abraham’s wandering descendants passed a milestone.  A promise made to that landless patriarch almost 500 years earlier is fulfilled by the dramatic events that open the book of Joshua.

After the tribulations of the wilderness and numerous setbacks, the book of Joshua seems like an unblemished triumph.  But there are problems, both within the text and outside it.  Some of them you’ll encounter in this week’s reading challenge.

Click here for the printable .pdf, with scripture references, discussion questions, and activities:

Bible Challenge Week 16: The Nation – Home at Last

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 15: The People – Blessings and Curses

Next: Week 17: The Nation – Failure!

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Bible Challenge, Week 15: The People – Blessings and Curses

The book of Deuteronomy is two things: a renewal of the covenant between God and his people, and Moses’ farewell.  Except for a brief introduction and a postscript, all of it is in Moses’ own voice, as he summons the people to give them a history lesson–all the amazing things their God has done over the last 40 years.

Now they stand on the brink of a new chapter in their saga.  Looking over Jordan, they see the promised land.

It’s time for a second covenant ceremony, and a reminder of what a covenant is.  The notion of a solemn agreement between a king and his underlings wouldn’t have been foreign to the people; it’s how things were done back then.  But God adds an element they might not have been expecting, an angle foreign to covenants at the time.  Any guesses?

Click here for the printable download, with scripture passages, discussion questions and activities:

Bible Challenge Week 15: The People – Blessings and Curses

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 14: The People – Sacrifice

Next: Week 15: The Nation – Home at Last

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Bible Challenge, Week 14: The People – Sacrifice

Leviticus is often called the “graveyard of daily Bible reading plans,” because when you turn the page after Exodus all your good intentions to stay awake fall off a cliff.  Detailed instructions for festivals and holy days, scrubbing your leprous walls, burying your polluted waste, purifying your bodily discharges . . .   What could have less relevance today?

The problem of our inattention just may be with us.  Leviticus is all about that which is holy and unholy, clean and unclean.  Israel is a people set apart, and so are we.  The sacrificial system is obsolete, and we don’t have to worry about sanitation rules so much, but one takeaway remains: to be set apart takes thought and effort. Last week we saw how God intended to remain among His people, and took the steps to make that possible.  It’s worth asking, how does He remain among us today, and what does it take for us to be “set apart”?

Click here for a printable download of this week’s challenge, including scripture readings, questions, and activities:

Bible Challenge Week 14: The People – Sacrifice

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 13: The People – Tabernacle

Next: Week 15: The People – Blessings and Curses

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Bible Challenge, Week 13: The People – Tabernacle

After last week’s fiasco, most of us would have ditched our “chosen people.”  The Lord even indicated that that was his inclination, but Moses (speaking in human terms, from a human perspective), “changed his mind.”  Or, as the first paragraph of the download puts it,

After the golden calf incident, God declared that He would let the Israelites go on to the promised land, but He would not go with them.  Moses intervened again: if God would not go with them, it wouldn’t be worth going.  The tabernacle was God’s answer.

Of course the Lord does nothing on the spur of the moment–even the words, “spur of the moment,” mean nothing in regard to a Being who lives outside of time.  So this was the plan all along.  But what was the purpose of the tabernacle?  And what made it even possible?

Click below for the printable download, which includes scripture readings, thought questions, and activities:

Bible Challenge Week 13: The People – Tabernacle

(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible.  I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF.  The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids.  Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)

Previous: Week 12: The People – Failure!

Next: Week 14: The People – Sacrifice