Week of July 17

Day 1    Isaiah 38-39;  2 Kings 20; 2 Chronicles 32:24-33
Day 2    Isaiah 40-42; Psalm 46
Day 3    Isaiah 43-45; Psalm 80
Day 4    Isaiah 46-49; Psalms 135
Day 5    Isaiah 50-53
Day 6    Isaiah 54-58

Week of July 10

Day 1     Isaiah 18-22
Day 2     Isaiah 23-26
Day 3     2 Kings 18:1-8    2 Chronicles 29-31    Psalm 48
Day 4     Isaiah 27-30
Day 5     Isaiah 31-35
Day 6     Isaiah 36-37    2 Kings 18:9-19:37    2 Chronicles 32:1-23    Psalm 76

Week of July 3

Day 1     Isaiah 5-8
Day 2     Isaiah 9-12
Day 3     Micah 1-4
Day 4     Micah 5-7
Day 5     2 Kings 16-17; 2 Chronicles 28
Day 6     Isaiah 13-17

Week of June 26

Day 1     Amos 1-5
Day 2     Amos 6-9
Day 3     Hosea 1-5
Day 4     Hosea 6-9
Day 5     Hosea 10-14
Day 6     Isaiah 1-4

Week of June 19

Day 1     2 Kings 5:1-8:15; 
Day 2     2 Kings 8:16-29; 2 Chronicles 21:1-22:9
Day 3     2 Kings 9-11;  2 Chronicles 22:10-23:21
Day 4     2 Kings 12-13;  2 Chronicles 24
Day 5     2 Kings 14 -15  2 Chronicles 25-27
Day 6     Jonah 1-4

Week of June 12

Day 1     1 Kings 15:1-24; 2 Chronicles 13-16
Day 2     1 Kings 15:25-16:34; 2 Chronicles 17
Day 3     1 Kings 17-19
Day 4     1 Kings 20-21
Day 5     1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18-20
Day 6     2 Kings 1-4

Week of June 4

Day 1     Proverbs 27-29
Day 2     Ecclesiastes 1-6
Day 3     Ecclesiastes 7-12
Day 4     1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9; Proverbs 30-31
Day 5     1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10
Day 6     1 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 11-12

Week of May 29

Day 1     Song of Solomon 5:2-8:14; Psalm 45
Day 2     Proverbs 1-4
Day 3     Proverbs 5-7
Day 4     Proverbs 9-12
Day 5     Proverbs 13-16
Day 6     Proverbs 17-20

Week of May 22

Day 1     Psalms 111-118
Day 2     1 Kings 1-2; Psalms 37; 71; 94
Day 3     Psalm 119:1-88
Day 4     1 Kings 3-4; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 72
Day 5     Psalm 119:89-176
Day 6     Song of Solomon 1:1-5:1



                The Wisdom of Solomon

Week of May 15

Day 1    Psalms 97-99
Day 2   2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21-22; Psalm 30
Day 3   Psalms 108; 109
Day 4   1 Chronicles 23-25
Day 5   Psalms 131; 138; 139; 143-145
Day 6   1 Chronicles 26-29; Psalm 68



David Instructs Solomon

Week of May 8

Day 1     2 Samuel 13-15
Day 2     Psalms 3; 4; 13; 28; 55
Day 3     2 Samuel 16-18
Day 4     Psalms 26; 40-41; 58; 61; 62; 64
Day 5     2 Samuel 19-21; Psalms 5; 38; 42
Day 6     2 Samuel 22-23; Psalm 57; Week 20

        Absalom Hanging From The Oak Tree by Tissot

Week May 1

Day 1  2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17; Psalms 1-2; 33; 127; 132

Day 2  2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18

Day 3  2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19; Psalms 20; 53; 60; 75

Day 4  Psalms 65-67; 69; 70

Day 5  2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20; Psalm 51 

Day 6  Psalms 32; 86; 102; 103; 122

Nathan Confronts King David

Week of April 24

Day 1      Psalms 81; 88; 92; 93
Day 2      1 Chronicles 7-9
Day 3      2 Samuel 5:1-10; 1 Chronicles 11-12; Psalm 133
Day 4      2 Samuel 5:11-6:23;  1 Chronicles 13-16
Day 5      Psalms 15; 23; 24-25; 47
Day 6      Psalms 89; 96; 100; 101; 107

Week of April 17

Here are the readings for the week.  We are getting into David's  reign as king.  

Day 1     2 Samuel 1-4
Day 2     Psalms 6; 9; 10; 14; 16; 21
Day 3     1 Chronicles 1-2; Psalms 43-44  
Day 4     Psalms 49; 84; 85; 87
Day 5     1 Chronicles 3-5
Day 6     1 Chronicles 6; Psalms 36; 39; 77-7

Joab Murders Abner

Week of April 10

Day 1     Psalms 7; 27; 31; 34; 52
Day 2     Psalms 56; 120; 140-142
Day 3     1 Samuel 25-27; Psalms 17, 73
Day 4     Psalms 35; 54; 63; 18
Day 5     1 Samuel 28-31; Psalm 121; 1 Chronicles 10
Day 6     Psalms 123-125; 128-130

David Spares Saul

I misspoke in class today, thinking that we would be reading II Samuel. We're actually spending quite a bit of time in the Psalms this week.  These Psalms give us a unique look into the mind of David in that they allow us to see the intimate nature of the relationship between David and God.  Try to reconstruct David's mindset as you are reading these.  Does loving and depending on God mean that he never gets scared or distressed? Does loving God mean that David never wonders why certain things are happening to him?

Week of April 3

Day 1     1 Samuel 1-3  
Day 2     1 Samuel 4-8
Day 3     1 Samuel 9-12
Day 4     1 Samuel 13-16
Day 5     1 Samuel 17-20; Psalm 59
Day 6     1 Samuel 21-24; Psalm 91

   Samuel anoints Saul


As we have seen in this week's readings, Saul and David both had their flaws.  However, David tended to please God while Saul displeased Him.  What differences between these two men led to God's preference for David over Saul? Were they actions, attitudes, or both?

Week of March 27

Day 1  Judges 2-5

Day 2  Judges 6-9

Day 3  Judges 10-13

Day 4 Judges 14-18

Day 5  Judges 19-21

Day 6  Ruth 1-4





As we've discussed in class, Israel was prone to making the same mistakes over and over.  God would miraculously provide and protect, then Israel would forget, seemingly overnight, and start worshiping false gods, ignoring the real God, etc.  At times, I find myself thinking, "how stupid!" or "how could they do that?"  The fact is, I commit the same stupid sins over and over.  While I might not worship Baal or a golden calf, I can easily slip into spending too much time thinking about money or some other "idol" and spending too little in fellowship with God.  I suggest that we read through the history of Israel with a sympathetic heart.  Their failures on a national scale are similar to our failures as individuals.  Thankfully, we have a God that loves sinners, even repeat offenders like me.

Week of March 20

Here is the reading schedule for this week:
Day 1     Joshua 3-6 
Day 2     Joshua 7-10 
Day 3     Joshua 11-14 
Day 4     Joshua 15-18 
Day 5     Joshua 19-22 
Day 6     Joshua 23-24, Judges 1


Are you brave enough to take the Joshua quiz? Are you brave enough to post your score?
http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz1588631231810.html

Week of March 13

Day 1     Deuteronomy 16-19

Day 2     Deuteronomy 20-23

Day 3     Deuteronomy 24-27

Day 4     Deuteronomy 28-30

Day 5     Deuteronomy 31-34

Day 6     Joshua 1-2; Psalm 105

     Moses Appoints Joshua

Here are the patterns in Deuteronomy that we discussed today.  Have a look! 
First it is set up in a concentric format. You can read each of these pairs as a continuous section. The purpose of this literary structure, which is called CHIASTIC, is to emphasize the center:

A. Looking backward – Chs 1 -3                     A’. Looking forward – Chs 31 – 34

    B. Great Exhortation – Chs 4 – 11    B’. Covenant Ceremony – Chs 27 – 30

           C. The Central Core – the stipulations of the Covenant Chs 12 - 26



Another feature of Deuteronomy is that it takes on the form of a Suzerainty Covenant, which is a common form of contract in the Near East at that time. The Suzerainty Covenant, in other cultures, was a contract between a suzerain and a vassal – basically between a more powerful and less powerful group. The people of Israel would have been familiar with this format and would have recognized its pattern in Deuteronomy.

1. Preamble – An introduction 1:1–5
2. Historical Prologue – A review of how they arrived at the situation 1:6–4:49
3. General Stipulations – Broader rules 5:1–11:32
4. Specific Stipulations – Specific Rules  12:1–26:19
5. Blessings and Curses – What happens if you obey/disobey 27:1–28:68
6. Document Clause – How the contract will be reviewed 31:9–29
7. Witnesses  32:1–47

Week of March 6

Day 1     Numbers 29-32
Day 2     Numbers 33-36
Day 3     Deuteronomy 1-3
Day 4     Deuteronomy 4-7
Day 5     Deuteronomy 8-11
Day 6     Deuteronomy 12-15



The Death of Moses

Week of February 27

Day 1     Numbers 6-9
Day 2     Numbers 10-13; Psalm 90
Day 3     Numbers 14-16; Psalm 95
Day 4     Numbers 17-20
Day 5     Numbers 21-24
Day 6     Numbers 25-28

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 
"Because you did not trust in me enough to 
honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, 
you will not bring this community into the land 
I give them.”

Week of February 20

Day 1     Leviticus 11-14
Day 2     Leviticus 15-18
Day 3     Leviticus 19-22
Day 4     Leviticus 23-25
Day 5     Leviticus 26-27; Numbers 1-2
Day 6     Numbers 3-5

Week of February 13

Day 1     Exodus 29-32
Day 2     Exodus 33-36
Day 3     Exodus 37-40
Day 4     Leviticus 1-4
Day 5     Leviticus 5-7
Day 6     Leviticus 8-10


Thoughts and Questions for the Week
I'll add these later in the week

Week of February 6

Day 1      Exodus 5-9
Day 2      Exodus 10-13
Day 3      Exodus 14-18
Day 4      Exodus 19-21
Day 5      Exodus 22-24
Day 6      Exodus 25-28





Thoughts and Questions

1. This week, we are going to go all the way from Israel's captivity, through the plagues on Egypt, their escape through the Red Sea, forty years of wandering through the desert, the giving of the law, to instructions for constructing the tabernacle.  I said it last week and I'll say it again.  Watch for God (it's not hard) in everything you read this week.  Note how He is ultimately in control of Israel's and Egypt's fates.  
2. The Israelites during the time of Moses were fortunate enough to see numerous miracles, including the plagues, parting of the Red Sea, being provisioned with manna, etc. Yet, despite seeing these things first hand, they are disobedient and even go to the extreme of worshiping other gods.  How can this be? How can they see these things and seemingly forget them overnight?  Would you or I be different? Why or why not?
3. As you read the Ten Commandments in Chapter 20, do you notice a pattern in their sequence?  
4. In the desert, God provided manna for the Israelites every day, but they were only allowed to gather a day's worth each time (except prior to the Sabbath).  Why do you think God made this rule? 

Week of January 30

Day 1        Job 25-28
Day 2        Job 29-32
Day 3        Job 33-36
Day 4        Job 37:1-40:5, Psalm 19
Day 5        Job 40:6-42:17, Psalm 29
Day 6        Exodus 1-4

Some thoughts and questions for this week:

1. We hit on this a bit in Sunday School this week, but as you get to the end of Job, pay close attention to what God tells Job about his place in the world, his understanding of God's plan and creation, and his right to question God's judgment.  Note that God does this in a stern but loving manner, allowing Job to repent and restoring his prosperity.
2. As we transition from Job to Exodus, we move from the story of one of God's children to the story of God's Chosen People, from individual to nation.  One thing that doesn't change is the window we have into God's sovereignty and His plan for the world.  As with Genesis, don't look to the characters in Exodus as great moral examples unless the text specifically says so.  Remember that while Exodus has lots of people in it, it is ultimately about God.  Ask yourself what Exodus is saying about God. Watch for the ways that God uses both His children and His enemies to accomplish His purposes.  

I'll add more questions later in the week.  Happy reading and may God richly bless our study of His word.

Week of January 23





Day 1       Job 1-5
Day 2       Job 6-9
Day 3       Job 10-13
Day 4       Job 14-17
Day 5       Job 18-21
Day 6       Job 22-24


Questions and Thoughts for the Week

Keep two primary questions in mind as you read Job:

1. Does Job love God for who He is or for what He does for him? Much of the story of Job centers around this question. Ask it of yourself. Do you love God for being God or do you love Him because He gives you things?  How will your personal answer to this question affect your opinion of God during hard times?

2. Where does true wisdom lie? As the reader, we are in on the setup from the beginning – that is, we know why things are happening to Job. Job and his friends, on the other hand, have no idea of the debate between God and Satan; they are just using their human senses and wisdom in an effort to make sense of Job’s misfortune. Many of the arguments made by Job’s friends are ones that we still hear today when something bad happens to someone.  Note the danger of relying on human wisdom to interpret life's events.

Other questions/thoughts:

1. Do you think it is fair that Job gets used as something of a guinea pig in a cosmic experiment?  Why or why not?
2. Some have suggested that Job may have been a fictional character that was simply used to illustrate a point (kind of like characters in Jesus' parables). Would the story of Job be less upsetting if he was fictional?
3. Does God have a responsibility to insulate the righteous (not sinless, just saved) from pain? Since Job is not being punished for wrongdoing, is the pain that God allows Satan to inflict upon him unfair?
4. The frankness of Job. Job is very blunt when speaking to God about his situation and anguish over it. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything and doesn’t restrain his comments. Do you think that God appreciates this honest line of communication or is He just indulging a creature He loves? Do you have honest talks with God? How often? Is there any point in hiding your true feelings (good or bad) from God? Why or why not?

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Week of January 16


Day 1       Genesis 30-33
Day 2       Genesis 34-37
Day 3       Genesis 38-40
Day 4       Genesis 41-43
Day 5       Genesis 44-46
Day 6       Genesis 47-50

Well, we will be finishing Genesis this week.  I hope everyone is getting as much out of this as Jen and I.  Here are some things to consider this week as you read (I'll be adding more during the week):

1. Difficult stories.  There are some disturbing stories in Genesis.  Women, in particular, often get treated badly.  For example, the story of Dinah's (Jacob's daughter) rape and Jacob's subsequent negotiation for her marriage to the rapist just baffles me.  Put yourself in Jacob's position. How could a father do that?

2. Polygamy.  Polygamy is common in Genesis and we see multiple accounts of infertile wives having their husbands sleep with their maidservants to produce children.  Why was polygamy commonplace then?  Why didn't God condemn it?  Is it okay to have more than one wife?  Why or why not?

3.  God's sovereignty.  In the story of Joseph, his brothers betray him by selling him into slavery.  Yet, as you'll see, God uses this horrible act to save entire nations of people.  Years later, Joseph himself tells his brothers that he doesn't hold a grudge against them and that he realizes that it was God's plan for him to be sold into slavery.  Stories like this can remind us that in difficult times, we have to have faith in God's plan, that he will bring about good things from bad things. Sometimes it's hard for us to see the forest for the trees, but God sees everything.

4.  Common mistakes in reading Genesis and other narrative/history books in the Bible.  This advice comes from How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart (very good book!).

• Old testament narratives/history books are not allegories or stories filled with hidden meanings.  There may be aspects of some individual stories that are hard to understand, but you should assume that they had meaning for their original hearers.
• Individual Old Testament stories are not meant to teach moral lessons unless they explicitly say so.  The purpose of the stories is to tell what God did in the history of humankind, especially Israel, not to offer examples of right or wrong behavior.  You might note in Jacob and Esau's story the negative impact of parents playing favorites, but that is not the point of the story. The main point is to tell us how Abraham's line was carried on through Jacob, not Esau.  Similarly, the story of Dinah that I referenced above is not an example of how fathers should treat their daughters.

Week of January 9

Week 2

Day 1       Genesis 12-13
Day 2       Genesis 14-16
Day 3       Genesis 17-19
Day 4       Genesis 20-23
Day 5       Genesis 24-26
Day 6       Genesis 27-29

Some questions to consider while reading:
1.  God chose Abram/Abraham to be the founder of the nation of Israel, through which He would bless the world.  Abraham, however, was far from perfect.  What do consider his strengths and weaknesses?

2. In Chapter 18, God appears to have limited knowledge of the situation at Sodom and Gomorrah. It says, "[20] Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, [21] I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”  Why wouldn't God already have full knowledge of this situation?  Is this just a figure of speech?

3. Jacob, among other things, lied and cheated to get what he wanted.  Why do you think God chose to do so many things through Jacob?  Why not Esau? Does the fact that God uses (and loves) extremely flawed people to accomplish His purposes encourage you? Does it offend your sense of justice?

4. There are a number of parallels between the way that Isaac obtains his wife and the way that Jacob obtains his wives.  What are the similarities and differences in their situations?

5.  Walk a mile in Leah's shoes.  She was the ugly duckling while her sister, Rachel was beautiful.  She had "weak eyes" - probably poor vision or perhaps blindness.  Worst of all, she never really seemed to be loved by Jacob in the way that he loved Rachel; Leah was always second fiddle.  Have you ever felt this way? Note how God has compassion for the unloved.

Week of January 2

Welcome to the first week of Bible In A Year.  I hope everyone will use this opportunity to deepen their knowledge of God's word and, in the process, grow closer to Him.  Every week I will post the scriptures we are scheduled to read.  Just add your opinions, questions, etc., as a comment to the weekly reading assignment.

Here are this week's scriptures:

Day 1
Genesis 1-2
Day 2
John 1:1-3; Psalm 8; 104
Day 3
Genesis 3-5; Proverbs 8
Day 4
Genesis 6-7
Day 5
Genesis 8-9; Psalm 12
Day 6
Genesis 10 - 11