Focus Scripture:
“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.” —Jeremiah 17:7
Yesterday, we learned about the different literary styles used by the authors of the books in the Bible and how the books were selected and organized in the Old and New Testament.
Today, we will look at how the whole Bible tells the story of God’s plan of salvation of humanity through Christ by using historical events that involved His work in, through, and for people. The following graphic by Bruce Wilkinson shows an example of how the books of the Old Testament can be arranged to tell the periods of time and significant people in the story of God’s saving work. This will be the order that Roots will follow.
You can find more information about this graphic and his one for the New Testament from a course called Survey of the Bible by clicking here. The delivery may seem dated but it is simple and very informative. If you are interested in watching the course for free, you can find it in Evangel’s Right Now Media which can be downloaded from the Evangel app.
To introduce each book of the Bible, Roots will provide a short overview of the book’s author, date, audience, and reason for writing. This background information can help you understand the historical context to view the Bible as God’s presence in real human events instead of mere fables. Bible maps or book introductions found in study Bibles can also be helpful historical resources.
Other study resources include Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and study Bibles (many of these resources can be found in blueletterbible.org and other websites). All of these can be helpful, but remember that they are people’s interpretations and should be used after you first engage with Scripture, not before.
So what Bible plan will Roots use?
If you would like to view a pdf of the complete list of Scriptures we will follow for each week of the year in Roots, click on a tier: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3. We will begin next week in Week 1. Because most of the Old Testament is narrative, we will take a little faster pace some weeks while answering questions to glean application for today. Then, we will slow down in the New Testament Gospels to learn from Jesus’ life and teachings. After that, we will devote time to the narrative of the Holy Spirit’s presence and early church in the book of Acts followed by devoting a week for each of Paul’s letters of instruction on Christian living. We will spend two weeks learning about the end times in Revelation and conclude in December with a week to review.
That is all for today. Enjoy some time in Psalm 119.
Bible Engagement
Tier 1: Psalm 119:97-128
Tier 2: Psalm 119:97-136
Tier 3: Psalm 119:97-144
What insights about God’s nature did you discover in this passage?
What did you learn about human nature in this passage?
Note themes in this passage.
Application
- As you have been listening to Psalm 119, what has God revealed about your heart’s desire towards Him and His word?
- Write out one verse from this Scripture that you would like to memorize for your own prayer.