Date post: | 03-Jun-2018 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | chalcedon-presbyterian-church |
View: | 220 times |
Download: | 0 times |
of 12
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
1/12
richment, and encouragement, its
dynamic influence bringing a
deepeniugjoy into our daily lives."
But, if that's the case, then most
people must
be
tone
deaf
For
some
Christians the Bible
is a source of controversy, con
fusion, debate and division.
It
is
more
like a jigsaw puzzle than a
lamp
unto their feet
They
are re
duced
to
reading the Bible as a
secret prophetic code
to
be de
ciphered and charted,
or
a
manual
on soul winning, orfor
finding
so
lutions to personal problems.
The solution to this
problem
is
to
learn how to read the Bible
as
try
to
read the whole Bible will
aid you in following the
story
of
redemption. There are several
summaries
of he
Bible
within
the Bible.
A. Acts 7, the defense of
Stephen, summarizes
the progress
of the redemptive plan ofGod.
B. Isaiah is a summary of the
Bible
in structure as well as
theme.
Like the
Bible
as a whole, Isaiah
consists of 66 divisions (chap
ters),
which
are divided themati
cally into
39
"O.T. chapters"
and
27 N.
T.
chapters." Like Gen
esis, the first book of the Bible, it
begins with creation. Like Rev-
Many Christians are familiar
only with a number of stories in
the Bible which they heard as a
child or learned in Sunday
School. Thus, they have the
impression that the Bible is a
book
of
stories about interesting
people of faith and incredible
events. Lacking an appreciation
for the unified story-line of the
Bible, they view it as a collec
tion
of
disconnected incidents
rather than as the coherent,
purpose-driven
Word
of God.
They have been exhorted and
encouraged to read the Bible
and perhaps have
done
so once
or
twice, but they usually
fizzle out by
Exodus,
certainly by
Leviticus.
elation, the last book of the
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ w Bible, it concludes with a
How to Read the
Bible
Biblically
hey read exciting
things
about the Bible, ''Thy word
is a lamp unto my feet and
prophecy of the
new
heav
ens and new
earth. The first
39 chapters deal with O.T.
a :============:=1 themes, creations, sin,judg-
a light unto my path" ( Ps.
119:105). It gives wisdom and
nnderstanding (119:98, 99).
Some verses declare
how
the
Bible is a source of joy (Psalm
119:14,47,70,162). Jeremiah
15: 16 reads, "When your words
came, I ate them; they were my
joy
and
my heart's delight. ... "
The Thessalonians
"Welcomed
the message with the joy given
by the Holy Spirit" 1 Thess.
1 6). Unfortunately, it never or
rarely becomes such
to
them.
They read glowing comments
about the Bible by others. "The
Bible appears
like
a symphony
or
chestra," writes
J.
I Packer,
with the Holy Ghost as its
Toscanini; each instrument has
been brought
willingly,
spontane
ously, and creatively,
to
play his
notes
just
as the
great
conductor
desired . .It is meant
to be
a con
stant means of
enlighteument, en-
a book
of
covenant purpose and
thematic development.
The
Bible
carmot
be
read with the profitGod
intends if we ignore its frame
work, theme, pattern and flow.
We must learn to read the Bible.
biblically The various portions
of Scripture form one book, the
revelation of God's eternal plan
of redemption. Each part
adds
to
our understanding
and
appre
ciation of hat plan
and
is vital i
we are to
be
God's holy people,
dedicated to him in every area of
life.
The
following two methods
will
help you learn to read the Bible
as God intends.
READ
THE
SUMMARIES
OF THE BIBLE
The unity and harmonyof he
Bible is
unveiled
in summaries of
the
Bible within the
Bible itself.
Reading
these first, before
you
4 THE
COUNSEL ofChalcedon December,1999/January,2000
ment. The last 27 chapters deal
with N.T. themes, redemption,
salvation, righteousness.
C.
1
and
2
Chronicles also
provide useful summaries of the
Bible. They begin with Adam
and
conclude
with
language that par
allels the Great Commission (cf.
2 Chron. 36:23;
Mat.
28: 18-20).
2
Chronicles is the last book in
the Hebrew Bible.
It was
com
posed after the exile for the rem
nant returning to Palestine. Itcon
cerns
the temple
and
the kingdom
of God, in preparation for the
N.T. in
which Christ, the Son of
David, the Son of Abraham
(Matt. 1:1), comes to gather the
remnant, inaugurate the kingdom
of
heaven, and to build His
temple.
D. Psalms 104 - 106 is an
other summary
of
the Bible.
Psalm
104
celebrates creation
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
2/12
(Gen. 1). Psalm
105
continues
1he
story of God's dealing wi1h
His
people beginning with Abraham
and
1he
covenant
made wi1h
him
and
his
descendants. t races
1he
progress of redemptive history
wi1h
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and 1he
Exodus
through
Moses and
Aaron. tconcludes
wi1h
1he dec-
laration that this was all because
From these summaries,
we
learn that the goal of salvation is
not merely
to
be saved
from
hell.
Salvation also entails deliverance
,
from
our enemies, a heart to wor-
ship and praise God, a life of
righteousness, and a divine prom
ise that all the nations will know
and glorify the Lord I hope you
are beginning to get the
message
N.T (Luke 24:44). The O.T. was
also referred
to
as the Law and
the Prophets (Matt.7:12; 22:40;
Luke 16:16; Acts 13:15; 26:22).
The Law is 1he Pentateuch,
the
first five books of the Bible. The
"Prophets," according to the He
brew definition, included books
that
we
identify as the Historical
books, Joshua _ Kings. These
of God's cov
enant wi1h Abra
ham (vv. 42-45).
God's purpose is
to have a people
in fellowship
with Himself in
worship, holi
ness, righteous
ness and truth.
God's purpose
in creation and
redemption fo
cuses on the
land,
a numerous
seed,
and a
blessing to
all1he
nations This
points
to the
ThL IlehlL w Old 'fL'slanlcllI Arrangement
are called the
"Former" (ear
lier) Prophets
according to
the Hebrew
O.T. These
were
called
prophetic
books be-
cause
they
were
written
by men who
spoke for God,
though they did
not necessarily
predict the fu
ture. The "Lat
ter" Prophets in
I he Law - Torah I
I
The Prophets
I I
The Writings
I
1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4.
Nwnbers
5. Deuteronomy
N.T. and particularly to 1he Great
Commissionand 1he history of re
demption as it unfolds
and
ad
vances
in Acts. There we see God
sending 1he
Apostles
to baptize all
1he
nations of1he ear1h
(1he
land),
a numerous seed as
1housands
are
being converted, and the bless
ing to
all1he nations as the gospel
goes to the Gentiles. Psalm 106
rehearses the terrible sin of the
people in the wilderness, the re
bellion at the Red Sea, and con
cludes with the cry for salvation
(vv.47-48). These perspectives
define for us what it means to call
the son of Mary "Jesus, for He
will save His people from their
sins" (Matt. 1:21).
A.
FonnerProphets
A. Poetical
Books
1.
Joshua
1.
Psalms
2. Judges
2.
Job
3. Samuel
3.
Proverbs
4.
Kings
B. Five Rolls
B.
Latter Prophets
1. Ruth
.Isaiah
2.
Song
ofSongs
2. Jeremiah
3.
Ecclesiastes
3. Exekiel
4. Lamentations
4. The
Twelve
"Minor"
5. Esther
Prophets
C.
Hisoorical
Books
1. Daniel
2. Exra,Neherniah
3. Chronicles
READ THE BIBLE
ACCORDING TO ITS
DIVISIONS.
While there is no "inspired"
order of the books of the Bible,
we should not suppose that it has
been put together haphazardly,
nor should
we
fail to note the
progressive revelation of redemp-
tion in the order in which the
books were inspired
and
written.
The Hebrew Bible is arranged
and
organized differently 1han
1he
En-
glish Bible, however.
A.
THE HEBREW O.T. has
three divisions: the Law, the
Prophets, and the Writings.
This division is referred to in the
the
Hebrew
Bible refers to the books that we
identify as the Prophets, the five
Major and twelve Minor proph
ets. Their last division,
the
Writ
ings, included books that we call
the Poetic books: Ruth, Lamen
tations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra
Nehemiah, and Chronicles. The
last book in Jesus' canon, the
Hebrew Bible, as
we
have noted,
was 2 Chronicles. Knowing this
helps us understand the words of
Matt. 23:35: "Upon you shall
come all the blood of Abel to
Zacharias." This is a reference to
the last book in the Hebrew Bible
- 2 Chron. 24:20-22. In other
words, the guilt of all the blood
from A o Z, 1he entire QT, is on you.
December,1999/Jannary,2000 TIlECOUNSEL ofChalcedon 5
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
3/12
B.
THE
MODERN O.T.
ARRANGEMENT OF THE
BOOKS
OF
THE BIBLE is
based
on
the Septuagint, the
Greek translation of the O.T.
which was written in the inter
testamental period (c. 150'
B.C.). This arrangement is
four-fold
(or sometimes five
fold): The Law, History,
Poetry,
and
the
Prophets
(five-fold
if
you divide
them
as Major
Prophets and
the
Minor
Prophets).
For the sake ofsimplicity, we
can
also reduce the 39 books
of
the O.T. into three categories,
History
(17 books),
Poetry
5
books), and Prophecy (17
books). The history and pro
phetic sections can both be sub
divided into groups of five
and
twelve
books.
The seventeen
History books can be divided into
the five books of Moses, the
Pentateuch, the history of the es
tablishment
of
God's covenant,
and
then
twelve other history
books that relate the outworking
of the covenant in the lives of the
people
in
terms
of
covenant obe
dience or disobedience. The sev
enteen Prophecy books may be
divided into Five Major Proph
ets and Twelve Minor prophets.
We ought also to know that the
prophets
may
be distinguished
into pre-exilic, exilic, and post
exilic prophets. This will obvi
ously detennine their message and
our understanding of the message
and application of these proph
ets.
The three major divisionso he
O.T. books (History, Poetry, and
Prophecy) are related to each
other like a sandwich more than
like link sausage. In other words,
one genre does not link to the
other, one after another, chrono
logically, but they overlap each
other. The fIrst seventeen books
of the O.T. actually cover the
whole O.T. period - from Gen
esis to Malachi. 1 and 2
Chronicles, the last two books
of
the Hebrew Bible, cover the
whole history and hope of the
O.T. The Poetry books were
mostly written during the period
of the history of the kings, par
ticularly David and Solomon, and
overlap the history books. Most
of
the Prophets, at least the pre
exilic prophets, were written dur
ing the period
of
the kings; the
remainder were written following
the kings and during exile and the
return. Hence, each division lays
over the other. While you are
reading Psalms, for example, it is
helpful to tum to the historical
books and correlate it with what
was going on in David's life. Itis
also helpful to remember that the
major portion
of
the Proverbs
were written by Solomon or as
wisdom literature associated with
Solomon, the wisest man who
ever lived and who was a type of
Christ, the one who is greater
than Solomon.
C.
THE
HISTORICAL,
PROGRESSIVE, COVENAN
TAL, DEVELOPMENT OF RE.-
DEMPTION THE BIBLE.
Using these structures,
we
can
trace God's progressive redemp
tion from promise to fulfIllment.
Cornelius Vanderwaal
in
his
book, Search The Scriptures,
Vol. 1, Genesis - Exodus,
(Paideia Press, St. Catherines,
Ontario, Canada, 1978), provides
a covenantal, theological frame
work (pg. 44) for reading the
6 -THE COUNSEL ofCbalcedon -Decembw,1999/January,2000
Bible biblically.
He
uses the four
fold division of the o.T.
Latter
Prophets
(The 17
Old
Testament Prophetic Books)
Warnings
.and promises
rooted in the covenant look
ing
forward
to
the
New
Covenant
Poetic Books
The Wisdom and
Songs of
the Covenant
.
Former
Prophets
(Historical Books)
The Lord upholds His cov
enant
Pentateuch
Early History
The Covenant at
Mount
Sinai
The law
of
the Covenant
Looking at this chart you can
see the harmony, unity, and pro
gressive development
of
God's
relationship with His people.
Another helpful analysis
of
he
message of the Bible is that o Dr.
Henry Krabbendam, professorof
Bible at Covenant College. i l l his
class notes on Genesis, he sug
gests thilt, following the Hebrew
divisions
of
he Bible, the Law,
the Prophets, and
the
Writings, we
can compare the Bible
to
a house.
The
FOUNDATION
of
the
house is the Law, the Pentateuch.
The WALLS
of
the house are the
Prophets. The WINDOWS of the
house are the Writings. The
ROOF OF THE HOUSE is the
N.T. The golden thread that
mus through the whole is the cov
enant promise, I will be a God
to you and to your seed and you
will be
my
people.
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
4/12
I THE
FOUNDATION
OF THE HOUSE - THE
PENTATEUCH.
The Law
is
the foundation of
the O.T. and of the entire Bible.
These five books set forth the re
demptive history that led up to
Israel's entrance into
the
land
of
Canaan.
They begin
with
creation
and God's command to Adam to
subdue
the
earth. Then they re
late how Adam plunged all man
kind into sin, misery, and death
through
his first
transgression. n
Gen.
3:15
God announced his
plan of redemption, a seed of the
woman
who would
crush
the
head
of the Serpent, Satan, and his
seed. God's purpose is
to
over
turn the effects of the curse and
to create a new heaven and earth
in which righteousness dwells.
That covenant of grace was
perpetuated through the covenant
of preservation with Noah. t
was advanced with Abraham, as
God made it clear that this prom
ise included a land, the whole
earth, a numerous seed,
and
a
blessing to all the nations through
a miraculously provided and res
urrected seed, Isaac, a type of
Christ. The necessity offaith to
inherit God's promise ofsalvation
is
made explicit at this point. The
covenant of grace
was
continued
through Isaac, Jacob (Israel), and
his twelve sons, the twelve tribes
ofIsrael. Under Moses, Godre
deemed His people from bond
age, brought them to Mt. Sinai
where He gave them an exhaus
tive revelation of his law
for
life
as
the people of
God,
and
formed
them
as His
nation
(Exodus-Lev
iticus). They were led to
the
bor
der of Canaan, but could not en
ter because of unbelief. God con-
signed them in his wrath to wil
derness wandering for 40 years
(Numbers). At the end of the 40
years, in preparation for entering
the land, God renewed the cov
enant and reiterated His law
(Deuteronomy). As with Adam
in Gen.
2,
blessings and curses
are armounced
for
faithful obedi
ence to God and His word.
God has at this point brought
His people full circle. Having be
gun with Adam, to whom
he
had
given His law and instruction to
subdue all things, God has now
formed a new people out offallen
humanity. He has chosen, re
deemed, and called them to his
covenant. He
now
gives them
His
law and tells them
to
go in
and to
subdue the land of Canaan, a
down payment on the promise
to Abraham to
give
him a land
and
to bless all the nations through
Him.
This is
the
foundation for the
remainder of the Bible, the N. T.,
the Great Commission. For in
Christ,
the seed
of the woman,
the
miraculously provided seed of
Abraham, all the promises and
purposes of God have become
Yea, and Amen. Everything else
is but the advancement and ful
fillment of
the
Pentateuch.
II. THE PROPHETS (AC
CORDING TO THE HEBREW
DESIGNATION - THE HIS
TORICAL
BOOKS
ACCORD
ING TO THE CONTEMPO
RARY
ENGLISH VERSIONS
OF THE BIBLE).
The prophets, as we have
noted, in
the Hebrew
Bible are
di
vided into the former and latter
prophets. Joshua through Kings
are the former prophets, and
Isaiah through Malachi are the lat
ter prophets. As Dr. Krabbendam
suggests, the books may be com
pared to the walls' or continuing
structure of
he
house, the history
of the covenant.
The
Former Prophets (Histori
cal books) cover the conquest
of
Canaan and the period of the
Judges and the Kings. These
books
also tell us
how
the people
of God were blessed when they
kept the covenant, and how they
were cursed and disciplined when
they did not believe and obey
God's commandments.
The history of the covenant
during this time reveals that al
though Israel was chosen, re
deemed, and called to be a light
to the nations, she was still sinful
and experienced
the
curses of the
covenant. Her
officers
the
prophets, priests, and kings did
not have the power to' save the
people. Many of her prophets are
false, her priests unclean, and her
kings unjust and self-serving. n
the midst of the progress and ad
vancement of the covenant is the
cry
for
a true prophet, priest, and
king, looking to
the new
covenant
in Christ.
n
connection with the period
of
the
kings,
the
divided kingdom,
come the Latter Prophets, Isaiah
- Malachi, the preachers of the
O.T. What
is
their text ? I t s the
covenant
law
of God. You hear
the prophets base their plea on
God's covenant
as
they appeal
t
the people to serve the Lord.
The ... prophets speak of God's
promises demands and
threats .... They cling to the Law of
Moses, pointing back to the pro
visions of the covenant and the
earlier redemptive deeds of the
December,1999/January 2000 -THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon -7
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
5/12
Lord,
which guarantee the Mes
sianic deliverance to come. The
prophets
also point to the sanc
tions, the threats contained in the
iaw
of
Moses.
Those threats
would surely be carried out, they
warned,
i
he people of the Lord
did
not repent. Thus, the proph
ets stood on the shoulders of
Moses - and on their predeces
sors shoulders as well."l
n the
midst
of this prophetic
preaching is the promise that God
will fulfill His purposes,
He
will
keep
the covenant.
He
will send
an anointed one, a "Messiah,"
who will
be
a faithful king, a true
prophet, and a spotless priest.
n
him
God's saving purposes will be
realized.
The
Messiah will make
God's people holy, and he will
conquer
God's enemies so that
the whole earth and every nation
will worship God and keep His
commandments (Isa. 2). God will
send His Spirit and write His law
on their hearts, and
He
will be
their
God and
they will be His
people
(Jer.
31:31-34; Ezek.
36:25-27). This is the "new cov
enant" He
will
make,
ul illing
His
promise to Abraham of a land, a
seed,
and
a blessed future.
III. THE WRITINGS OF
THE HEBREW
BIBLE FORM
THE WINDOWS OF
THE
HOUSE.
As Dr. Krabbendam says
concerning these books, "Atten
tion
is focused upon the blessed
life of them that walk in the wis
dom
of the covenant and keep
God's commandments in heartfelt
obedience and the wretched state
of hem that spurn its wisdom and
transgress God's. command
ments."
The Law is the founda"
tion; everything refers back to
God's covenant with Abraham The New Testament is to the
and Moses.
Even
the Davidic O.T.
as
fulfillmentis to promise.
Covenant has as its goal the es
tabl ishmentofGod's people, the
seed of Abraham as a holy na
tion, the Mosaic Covenant.
The Writings,
the
Poetic
Books in particular, presuppose
the other books. "Psalms and
Lamentations give us a sense of
the struggle Israel underwent in its
relationship to God as it sought
to win the covenant blessings. As
we read
them,
it's almost as
though we were present in a
temple service. We look right into
the heart
of
the praying believers.
How they plead for the fulfillment
of God's promises How they
complain about their suffering
How earnestly they confess their
sins How grateful they are for the
deliverance they have received,
and how they yearn for the ulti
mate redemption " We are
shown how deeply Israel believed
the words of Moses: "The Lord
will vindicate his people" (Deut.
32:36; Ps. 135:14; Rom. 12:19;
Heb. 10:30; Rev. 18:20; 20:4).
"Wisdom books like
Job,
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are in
tended
to
help
the
covenant
people stay on the Lord's path
and accept His leading. The book
ofProverbs can be read as a com
mentary on the
Ten
Commandments .. .In this book,
we find concrete applications of
the fear of Yahweh, which is the
beginning of wisdom. Thus these
'poetic'
books are based on the
Pentateuch. Their foundation is
God's covenant
with His
people."2
IV THE
NEW
TESTA
MENT -
NEW
COVENANT -
THE ROOF OF THE HOUSE.
The new covenant was neces
sary because
of
the limitations
of
the old covenant. t was not suf
ficient to accomplish
God's
pur
poses to Adam and Abraham.
t
had no power to save ultimately.
It was external, and had no power
to make the people holy, and to
enable them to keep
God's
com
mandments. Instead it directed
them to the coming Lamb ofGod.
The new covenant draws together
the themes and purposes of God
progressively revealed in the O.T.
n Christ, the covenant of com
mencement, preservation, prom
ise, law, and kingship are realized.
The shadows are swept away and
the implicit becomes explicit be
cause he has come according to
the promise and actually secured
the fulness of God's grace for sin
ners (Jer. 31:31;Heb. 8:13).
A. THE
GOSPELS: THE
MANIFESTATION OF
CHRIST3
The three sections of the O.
T.
culminate in the N.T. Matthew
1:1 opens with the
"genesis" of
Jesus Christ, the son ofDavid, the
Son of Abraham
He
is the ful
fillment
of God's
promises to
Abraham and David.
He
is the
second Adam, the
One
who ful
fills the
creation
mandate originally
given to Adam (Rom. 5). He is
the seed of he woman (Gen. 3: 15
w
Gal. 4-5). Those who believe,
whether Jew or Gentile, will in
herit the promises to Abraham (cf.
Rom. 4; Gal. 3).
They
are the
Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). Those
who do not believe, whether Jews
or Gentiles, will be
cut
off. Jesus
is the "King of the Jews," the Son
of David, whose kingdom is eter-
8 - TIlE COUNSEL of Cbalcedon -December 1999/January 2000
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
6/12
nal and will fill the earth as all the
nations come into His kingdom
and keep the holy, just, and per
fectlaw ofGod,
the law
of
Moses
(Matt. 2:3; 2 Sam. 7; Isa. 2). He
is the fulfillment of the types and
shadows of the sacrificial laws.
He writes the
law
on our hearts
(Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-27),
causing and enabling us to keep
His laws, not merely in external
form but in the greater righteous
ness Jesus described in Matt. 5-
7, the Sermon on the Mount. n
contrast to
the
other leading evan-
gelical
theological
system,
Dispensationalism, Jesus
is
no
antinomian Jesus does not call
men to follow himmerely
as
Sav-
ior and not as Lord Jesus inau
gurated His kingdom (Matt.
4: 17).
He
did not postpone the
kingdom, as
some
assert, thereby
throwing
the
message of he Bible
and of the kingdom out of gear.
His kingdom has come, the na
tion ofIsrael has been judged for
its rejection of the Christ, and the
new covenant has been inaugu
rated with Jews and Gentiles who
repent and believe the good news
of the kingdom (Matt. 4: 17). He
gave His disciples the great com-
mission, reminding us of
the
great
commission to Adam in Gen. I,
to go into all the
world.
and
make
disciples ofall
the
nations, teach
ing them to observe everything
which
He
has
commanded
B. ACTS: THE
PROPAGA-
TION OF CHRIST
In Acts, we read that having
sealed the new covenant with His
blood, He poured out the Holy
Spirit which
the
Father had prom-
ised in Ezekiel 36:25-27 and Joel
2:28-32. The purpose of this out
pouring was so that his Church
might be empowered to accom
plish the Great Commission cf.
Isa. 61-62). Jesus has been ex
alted to the right hand of the Fa
ther until
He
makes
his
enemies
His
footstool
(Acts
2; Gen. 3:15).
Acts shows
us
the progressive
fulfillment
in the
early
days
of
the
chnrch in fulfilling the promise
to
Abraham of a land, a seed, and a
blessing to
all nations.
tends with
the great perspective, not of de
feat, but of growing conquest
(28:17-30). Even though Paul
was in prison, nothing could stop
the advance of the kingdom of
God
C.
EPISTLES: THE
INTERPETATION AND
APPLICATION OF CHRIST
The
Epistles are covenant
letters as well. Some, like
Romans and Galatians, explain
how Jesus is
the
fulfillment of
the promises and purposes of
God and call the people
to
faith
and obedience. Others address
particular problems of doctrine
or living. In both cases, the
writers caUthem
to
live as
new
covenant Christians, in faith and
obedience.
D. PROPHECY: THE
CONSUMATION IN CHRIST:
The Book of Revelation has
beenmore of a puzzle
than
a ''rev
elation"
to
Christians. But need
it be
so?
God calls it a ''revela- .
tion," an unveiling. t
was
written
by John for the people of God liv
ing in those days, 1:1-3. The
problem is that Christians have
taken the literal
words
fignratively
and the
fignrative words literally
"The time
is
near,"
Rev.
1:3,
they
have tnrned into thousands of
years, and apocalyptic-symbol-
ism they have taken literally. What
has been overlooked is that the
Book of Revelation wasn't writ
ten yesterday And many com
mentators are coming to believe
that it was written before J erusa
lem was destroyed
in7
A.D, to
prepare the people
of
God for the
coming destruction of
the
Temple,
the end of Judaism, and the ulti
mate triumph of the people of
God, those
to
whom John was
writing.
What does reading the Bible
biblically mean to us? t means
that we must view the Bible as
setting forth God's plan and pur
pose
of
creation and redemption.
It produces understanding and
confidence about the future, be
cause we know that we will reap
in due time i fwe faint not and that
onr labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Reading
the
Bible biblically means
reading the Bible as the revela
tion of the progressive unfolding
of the redemptive purpose of
God, who has created, chosen,
called, redeemed, and restored
his
people
to
fellowship and com
munion with Himself.
t
means
restoring man in the image ofGod,
inrighteousness and
holiness,
with
dominion over the creatures. t
means restoring man
as
God's
vice-regent in the earth. tmeans
restoring marriages and families
(Mal. 4; Eph. 5), restoring the
dignity and
fruitfulness of work in
our callings (Gen. 1;
Eph. 6).
Faithfulness to itwill enable
us
to
be salt in light in onr society, pro
claim the
good
news of the king
dom of God, and disciple the na
tions to Christ, until the Day of
His coming when He presents the
consummated kingdom to His
Father (I Cor. 15:25-27).
December,1999/January,2000 - THE
COUNSEL
ofChaIcedon -9
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
7/12
I. YOU MUST
READ
THE
BIBLE
ACCORDING
TO THE AUTHOR'S PUR
POSE. The
WSC
Q
1 begins
with our
chief
end, which is to
glorify
God and
to enjoy Him
forever.
Q.2
goes
on
to
answer the question,"What rule
has
God given
us to direct us
how
we
may glorify and enjoy
him?
by saying ''The Scriptures
of
the
Old and New
Testament
are the only rule to direct us
how we may glorify and enjoy
him.
Q.3
answers the ques
tion,
What do
the scriptures
principally teach?" by saying,
The
Scriptures principally
teach what man
is to believe
concerning God
and what
duty
God
requires of man." That is
what
the Bible is about.
A.
t
PRINCIPALLY
teaches us
what
we
are to
believe
and
do. 2 Tim. 3:16
tells us that all Scripture is
profitable.
But
that does not
mean
that all Scripture is as
profitable as
every
other.
How
important is
it
to know the
names
of
the Levites and priests
in
2 Chron.
17:7,8? How
important is
it
for
uS
to under
stand Cretan poetry, which Paul
refers to
in
Titus 1:12?
Letus
not neglect the principle things
of
what
we are to believe and
do. We
must
be careful that out
of theological curiosity we do
not devote more time than is
expedient
or
edifying to explor
ing these trails.
B.
t
teaches us
not
only
what
we
must
believe,
but
what we must
do.
We must
not
avoid
or omit
doing what we
have been commanded to do
in
the
name of
more study as to
what to believe. As someone
has said, "We already know
more than we do "
The
Shorter
Catechism Q 1 speaks
of
mlm's
chief
or ultimate end,
implying that there are
subordinent ends.
As
Chris
tians, we have various ends,
purposes, responsibilities, and
duties which are incumbent
upon us besides our study of
theology and the Bible. Thomas
Vmcent,
in
his commentary on
the Shorter Catechism
Q 1
says that subordinate ends are
diligence in particular callings.
Men
may
also eat, and
drink,
and sleep, for this end, and they
may nourish and refresh their
bodies. Men may also moder
ately desire and endeavor after
the enjoyment
of
such a portion
of the good things of the world
as
is needful and useful. While
all men (and women) must be
"theologians," this does not
. constitute the totality
of
their
Christian responsibility. Chil
dren
mustbe
educated and
prepare for vocations, fathers
must work and provide for their
family and future. Of course, a
greater danger for most today is
lack ofattention to Biblical and
theological study.
C. t teaches us
what we
must believe
concerning God
and
do,
what duty God
reo
quires of man.
Ps. 51 records
that the people had a false view
ofGod and this false view led
them to sinful practices. When
Josiah rediscovered the law
of
God, he discovered that the
people were disobeying God,
he repented and instituted
reforms
in
terms of the Word of
God, 2 Kings 22.
What
hap-
10
-TIlE COUNSEL ofChalcedon -December 1999/Jannary 2000
pens when men do not follow
the word
of
God? Read Judges
17-18. Life without acknowl
edgment of
God's
rule is
unhappy, confused, and dis
pleasing to God
II. WE MUST READ
THE BIBLE
AS
ONE
BOOK
- The Bible is a large book
of
66 books, but ultimately and
essentially it is one book, John
5:39, Luke 24:27, John 15:26,
2 Tim. 1:9,10. The Lord Jesus
Christ gives unity and authority
to the whole Bible from Genesis
to Revelation by His reference
to the O.T. scriptures as the
Word of God
and
His promise
of
the Spirit to His disciples to
bring to remembrance all that
He has said.
The
center
of
the
Bible is the incarnate and
glorified Christ
by
whom all
things will
be
renewed," Willem
Van
Gemeren.
t
is the story
of
what God has purposed and
done with man through Christ.
The Bible is a book about
what God has said
and
done.
Center stage does
not
belong to
man,
but
to God.
t
s God
centered and Christ-centered.
t
is the record
of
the sovereign
God who is the absolute Lord
of heaven arid earth and of all
creatures and men.
It
is the
record of how God deals with
the world.
t
is the record
of
God's setting up
of
His kingdom
on earth, creating and dealing
with man
in
a special and unique
way. That special way is God's
relationship established with
man by way
of
a "covenant."
The covenant is the relationship
established by God with man
in
which he promises life or death,
blessings or curses, based on
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
8/12
faith and obedience. It is a
bond and promise oflife and
love for obedience and curse for
disobedience.
God established a covenant
with Adam and all his
poseterity. When Adam,
and
thus
all
men, fell in
sin, the
curses of the covenant
came
into
play.
But
God
in His mercy
spoke a word of promise of
grace, Gen. 3:15, which He had
purposed in eternity to do.,
Eph. 1:4ff. Thus, He holds out
the promise of forgiveness and
new life to those
who
return to
Him in faith and obedience,
trusting Jesus Christ
as
their
Savior and Lord. At the same
time, this redemption is not
up
to the whim or
free
will ofmen,
but God will
save
a people
unto
Himself.
t
is He
who
regener
ates
some men's hearts, drawing
them
to
Himself,
saving
and
renewing
them in His
image,
and
giving them an
eternal inherit-
ance. The rest of
the
Bible
is
abont
how
God is doing this.
The Bible
is the
book of the
. History ofRedemption. t s not
just history, or just a history of
what God did. t s the history
of God's moving to restore
sinful people and all of creation
to a right relationship with
Himselfwhile
destroying
all His
and their enemies.
t
is progres
sive - gradual.
t
is the record
of God's creation and purpose
of redemption of men through
His Son for the glory ofHis
grace. It is the story of the
kingdom of
God,
God with us,
and the redemption of
men
by
His Son for His glory.
t
re-
counts how God in eternity
purposed to create and permit
the
fall in order to redeem men
by His Son. Right from the
beginning, Gen. 3: 15, God
revealed that He would redeem
a people unto Himselfand
would crush the head of the
serpent and his seed. It is God
centered and not man-centered.
t s a revelation of the sovereign
will and purpose
and
power
of
God and not the sovereign free
will of manwho does
God
a
favor by believing inHis Son
and receiving Him
as
Savior.
ill WE MUST READ
THE BIBLE
AS
OLD TES
TAMENT AND NEW TES
TAMENT.
The word
"testament"
as
used here
is
unfortunate and
misleading.
t s
the
same
word
as covenant, and thus
the
Bible
is divided into
the
Old Covenant
and the New Covenant.
The terms "Old" and "New"
may
be misunderstood
as
well.
Many Christians say We are
N.T.
Christians "
Or,
"That's in
the Old Testament."
We
think
of old as
something
to
be
discarded, like an old shoe.
Old with reference to
the
"Old"
Testament has the significance
of former or prior, not useless
or worthless. The New is the
fulfillment of the Old.
The Old
is the
platform
for
the New.
Moses
was
writing about Christ,
John
5:46;
Christcame to fulfill
the law and the prophets, not to
abolish them, Mat.
5:17.
Christ and the apostles regarded
the O.T. as their Bible
We
ought to
say
that we are Biblical
Christians.
God established a covenant
with man, Adam, before
and
after
the
fall. This promise was
repeated
and
enlarged through
Abraham
and
David. This
covenant established was not
fulfilled in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament even fortold
that God would make a new
covenant in the future, Jer.
31:31-34. Jesus came to fulfill
the Old Covenant, Luke 1 72-
73, and spoke of His blood as
ratifying
the
New Covenant,
Mat. 26:28, Heb. 8:6-8.
So,
we should not think
of
the
Bible
as
being divided into
two halves, but two halves being
united in one book. The
N. T.
is not a break with the O.T., but
the fulfillment of the O.T., Mat.
1:1
We must not throw
up
a
real division between the
O.T.
and
the N.T.,
saying that the
O.T. was for the Jews and now
is
past history, irrelevant; that
the N.T.
is
for Christians and
we
are
a
N.T.
church. THE
BIBLE IS TWO BOOKS
UNITED INTO ONE BOOK,
THE O.T.THE PROMISE
AND THE N.T. THE FUL
FILLMENT.
Augustine said, "The O.T. is .
in the
N.
T.
revealed and the
N.T.
is
in the
O.T.
concealed."
Thomas Watson wrote, "The
two testaments are the two lips
by which God has spoken to
us." One theologian has said
that the Old and New Testa
.ments are like the two halves of
a sentence; both are necessary
before we can read the whole
sentence. There
are similarities
and differences to be sure. The
N.T. says that Christ is the end
of the law
n
one sense, "the end
of the law for righteousness to
everyone
who believes,"Rom.
December,1999/January,2000 -THE COUNSEL ofChaicedon-11
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
9/12
10:4. But He did not come to
put an end to the righteousness
the law manifests, but
to
estab
lish it.
We
ought to think of and
read the two testaments as
promise
and
fulfillment.
Dr.
W.
H. Griffith Thomas
wrote that
if
one only found and
read the O.T. He would come
to the conclusion that
it
is a
book aboutunfulfi1led promises,
unexplained ceremonies, and
unsatisfied longings. Buti fwe
were handed the N.T., he would
discover that the
very first page
the birth
of
Jesus is described
as
taking place to fulfill what God
had promised in
the O.
T., Mat.
1
22. He would go on to find
that in Christ the promises are
fulfiIled, the ceremonies ex
plained and the longings and
hopes satisfied.
.We have One God, One
Messiah, One moral law, One
way
of
salvation, One people
of
God, and One hope
of
eternal
life. The New covenant is
not
differing in nature from the old
covenant. What the gospel
of
the new covenant proclaims is
that Christ has fulfilled the
prefigurations and shadows and
types
of
the old covenant,
thereby bringing about complete
forgiveness
of
our sins. Christ
also received the gift of the Holy
Spirit, who in turn equips the
church for the world-wide task,
not limited to the one nation of
Israel. n the expansion
of
the
church across the earth we see
fulfillment
of
what Isaiah had
prophesied long before, Isa
.
42:1-7. Thus we are to view
the new covenant, new
testatment,
as
a fulfillment of he
old covenant, not a break, not a
new plan, not an additional plan
introduced because the former
was postponed.
TheN.T.
is
the fulfillment and
completion
of
he promises of
the O.T. God completed
the
sentence He began in the
O.T.
He
revealed part of the plan and
purpose of redemption to
Adam, another part to Noah,
more to Abraham, more to
Moses, and even more to
David, until in Jesus Christ its
full glory is revealed, Heb.
1: 1
2.
The
O.T. was
the truth, but
not the whole truth.
n
the OT
God spoke slowly gradually,
and progressively.
n
the
N. T.
He
speaks finally fully
and
freely.
IV. WE MUST READ
THE OLD TESTAMENT:
The O.T. begins with God, the
mightly creating,
and
sovereign
God. It tells
us
that God cre
ated man and told him to work,
to marry and raise a
family
and
to
exercise dominion over
all
of
creation to the praise of God.
It
shows that we are in partnership
with God.
I m
here in God s
world, I belong
to
Him, I have a
task, and I have
to
be faithful.
God made a covenant with
Adam, a promise ofIife
and
death.
Man broke the covenant with
God sinning
by
eating the
forbidden frnit. Marriage
was
affected, work
was
affected,
and their relatonship with God
was wrecked
as
well. But God
does not let the Devil succeed.
He comes to man and promises
to restore the relationship with
Adam and Eve and with a
portion
of
her seed, Gen. 3:15.
Now will be born to Eve chil-
12 - mE COUNSEL
ofChalcedon
-December 1999/January 2000
dren who by human nature are
children, products of the Devil,
but by God s grace, she will
also bear children whom God
will regenerate. God will
restore man s relationship with
Himself, restore man in the
image of God, restore man s
family and work. One of
her
seed
will
crush the head of the
serpant, see Rom. 16:20.
The
Creator will be the re-creator
nd
He promises a Savior.
We see
the
historical devel
opment
of
he two
lines,
the
two
seeds, Cain and the Caananites,
how Satan continues to seek to
destroy man, but God continues
His pupose thru Seth, Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,Joseph,
etc. Noah found grace in the
eyes of God. Jacob have I
loved, showing God s electing
grace. And I m working
through Abraham that ll nations
. will be blessed. God creates
and redeems a people for
Himself.
He
brings them out of
Egypt to Mt. Sinai and gives
them His laws which had been
written on their hearts in fuller
nd
external expression so that
they will know how to please
and serve God in holiness. God
leads them into Canaan, a land
from
which they can penetrate
into all the world, be a light to
the
nations, Deut. 4.; a place to
serve and worship God.
But they didn t serve God,
and God disciplined them and
raised up Judges to temporarily
deliver them. Then Samuel,
David, and Solomon came.
God keep s his people and
makes a promises, 2 Sam. 7
of
a Son and an eternal kingdom.
David and Solomon were kings
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
10/12
and representative of the great
king who wonld come. Besides
kings, we meet priests and
prophets who ministered
to
God's people. But the kings
were wicked, the prophets lied,
and the priests were unclean
themselves. These all served
to
typify what they needed but that
man could not be that because
of his sin. God's people went
into captivity for their sin,
and
then returned. God reserved a
remnant
to
Himself. God
raised
up
Nebuchadnezzer as
His rod then smote Him be-
cause he was puffed up. God
raised
up
Cyrus to deliver
His
people. He brought the seed
of
Abraham back to Jerusalem
where the Christ was to be
born. Thus, they pointed
to
the
need for a greater prophet,
priest, and king - who was and
is the Lord Jesus Christ In
Christ, now God is fulfilling the
O.T.
promises and purposes.
His
people are not limited
to
Jews, Israel, but to
any, only,
and all who like Abraham
believe in Him and worship and
serve Him. The rest of mankind
He will justly destroy for their
sin, unbelief, rebellion, and
disobedience.
A.
THE
OLD TESTA
MENT MAY BE DIVIDED
INTO THREE TYPES OF
BOOKS: History, Poetry, and
Prophecy. The O.T. books
are
not arranged in chronologi
cal order; they are arranged in
terms of genre,
the
type of
literature, they are: History,
Poetry, and Prophecy.
The Scriptures of Jesus had
a different order of books than
our Bible. The order is not
inspired. It was referred to by a
3-fold division, the law, the
prophets, and the writings,
Luke 24:44, or sometimes as
the law and the prophets,
Mat. 7:12, 22:40, Luke 16:16,
Acts 13:15,26:22. And they
included different
O.
T,
books in
those categories than
we
do.
The last book, for example,
in
Jesus' Bible was 2
Chronicles. Knowing this
helps us understand the words
oCMat. 23:35, upon you shall
come all the blood of Able to
Zacharias,
2
Chron. 24:20-22),
in other words, the guilt of all
the blood from A to Z, the
wholeOT.
The modern O.T. arrange
ment is based on the Septuagint,
the Greek translation of the
O.T. written in theinter-testa
mental period 150 B.C.). This
arrangement is four-fold: The
Law, History, Poetry, and the
Prophets.
For the sake of simplicity, we
can divide the
39
books of the
O. T.
into three categories,
History
17
books), Poetry 5
books), and Prophecy 17
books). The history and
prophetic books can be further
sub-divided into groups of 5
and
12 books: The 17 history
books can be divided into the 5
books of Moses, the
Penteteuch, the history of the
establishment of God's
cov
enant, and then 12 other history
books which relate the out
working of the lives of the
people in terms of covenant
obedience. The
17
Prophecy
books may
be
divided into 5
Major Prophets and
12
Minor
prophets. We ought also to
know that some
of
the prophets
are pre-exilic, exilic, and
postexilic. Moreover, these
three major divisions are related
to each other like a sandwich
rather than link sausage. They
overlap each other. The 17
history books cover the whole
O.T. 1 and 2 Chronicles
covers the whole history
of
the
O.T.). The Poetry books were
written during the period
of
the
history of the kings, David and
Solomon. And most of the
Prophets, at least the pre-exilic
prophets, were written during
the period of the kings as well,
and the rest were written fol
lowing the kings and during the
exile and the return.
.B.
THE
NATURE
OF
THE
O.T. REVELATION:
1. It is
mSTORlCAL t
is not merely theology, system
atic theology. Our religion and
redemption is rooted in history.
God did things in history. It
does not tell
us
all we'd like to
know about creation, for ex
ample. Itis salvation history.
2. t is also
PROGRES
SIVE: There is a story,
progress; step by step God
leads his people along, revealing
more about Himself,
His
will,
and His salvation. When Israel
was a child, God loved them as
a child, Has. 11:1,3. Now
God has completed His revela
tion and calls all men
to
repen
tance, Acts 17:30. Stop and
look at the scenery as you travel
through the
O.T.,
but your goal
is the end of the journey, Christ
as the fulfillment. The Bible is
like a seed, an acorn, that is
planted and grows to maturity.
The whole tree is in the acorn,
December,1999/January,2000 -THE COUNSEL ofCbalcedon-13
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
11/12
but you
can t
see the whole tree
while
it
is an acorn. You have
to wait until
it
is grown to
maturity.
3. The O.T. is also OR
GANIC
ND
EPOCHAL.
By organic we mean that God
moves from seed to growth
to
fulfillment.
It
s like a tree that
grows from a seed to a full
grown tree. Many Christians do
not read
it
as an organic united
whole, but as separate boxcars
of
a train. There is little or
no
real connection between each
stage.
The O.T. is epochal, mean
ing that it deals with specific
people and eras in particular,
some in more detail than others.
It is selective history, not com
prehensive history.
It
deals with
a few men and leaves many
gaps, but progresses toward the
fulfillment of redemption Read
Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 to
get this sense. The key figures
are Adam, Noah, Abraham,
Moses, David, and Jesus.
C.
THE
CONTENT
OF
EACH
DIVISION:
1. THE
HISTORY
(17
Books) -
5
Books
of
Law and
12
Other History Books: This
is the foundation of the Bible,
not just the O.T. The founda
tion
of
man's relationship is
loving obedience to God
through faith. The Law gives
us
the announcement and establish
ment
of
God's covenant of
redemption with Israel which is
to be a blessing to all the na
tions, Gen.
15, 17. It
begins
with God s
law,
Gen. 2, contin-
ues with afullerrevelation of
God's law, Ex. 20, and con-
eludes with a reminder of God's
law,
Deuteronomy. God created
man to live in faith and obedi
ence to His commandments.
Man sinned
and
came under
the
guilt
and
condemnation ofthe .
law. God redeemed a people
to
Himself
and
gave them
His
law
in order to constitute them a
holy people, which man
had
been created to be.
The Other 12 History books
following
the Law,
the
Penteteuch, manifest the histori
cal unfolding of God's covenant
with His people in terms of their
faith, love, and obedience
to
Him. This covers the conquest
in Canaan, the Judges, the
period when Israel was ruled
by
kings, and following the return
to Israel after the captivity in
the
books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
During
ll
this
time we
see
God
maintaining His intent, His
covenant through blessings
and
curses, just
as
He promised
He
would do. I
Cor. 10: 11
says
these were written for our
instruction. During this
time we
are introduced
to
prophets,
priests, and kings. But they
are
ll
failures,
being
sinful
men.
2. THE
POETRY
(5
Books) - The Poetic books
are rooted in God's covenant
promises and appeal to them,
Psalm 1, Proverbs
1
As
we
read them it is almost as
i
we
are looking in
on
a worship
service, the
family,
the
commu-
nity, the hearts of God's people.
We
look right into the hearts of
praying,
suffering, confessing,
pleading believers
as
they
struggle
to live
in faith,
love,
and
obedience to God in terms of
His law, His covenant and pray
14 -THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon -Decemher,1999/January;2000
for
the
fulfillment of
he
prom
ises of redemption. The Wis
dom books are intended to help
them stay
on
the path and live
by God's wisdom instead
of
man's. Proverbs can be read as
. a practical commentary on the
Ten Commandments.
3.
THE
PROPHETS
(17
Books) - are the preachers
of
the
O.T.
They are always
appealing
to
the people
to
keep
the covenant with God, to keep
his commandments. They
remind the people of what God
has done for them and His law.
They speak of the demands,
threats, and promises. God
promises a Messiah, an
anointed prophet, priest,
and
king who will come and through
whom the promises and pur
poses of God will berealized.
Malachi ends with the promise
of a Son of righteousness which
will
arise.
Do you get the point? God
is never stopped. He continues
to
unfold
and
accomplish His
redemption. Salvation is not a
great endeavor, a great offer,
but a great accomplishment
Someone
has
suggested this
outline:
THE BOOKS OF THE
LAW
- THE FOUNDATION
FOR THE COMING OF
CHRIST;
THE HISTORY BOOKS -
THE PREPARATION FOR
THE COMING OF CHRIST;
THE POETIC BOOKS -
THE ASPIRATION FOR THE
COMING OF CHRIST;
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
- THE EXPECTATION OF
THE COMING OF CHRIST.
8/12/2019 2000 Issue 1 - How to Read the Bible Biblically - Counsel of Chalcedon
12/12
D. THE CONTENT OF
and
2 tribes). It
was
during this marital love nd points to a love
EACH OF THE O. T.
time thatElijah and Elisha even greater.
BOOKS:
prophesied,
and
several pro-
3. THE PROPHETIC
1. THE HISTORY
phetic books
were
written,
BOOKS:
Amos, Hosea (prophets to the
Of the 5 Major (larger)
OOKS:
N. Kingdom),
and
Isaiah,
GENESIS, the book of the
Prophets, ISAIAH, JER-
Jeremiah,
Micah Nahum
EMIAH, AND LAMENTA-
eginnings
or
origins of creation,
Habakkuk, and Zephaniah
TIONS (written by Jeremiah)
in, redemption,
and
(prophets
to the S.
Kingdom)
are pre-exilic. EZEKIEL AND
ovenanting, God's chosen
were written.
DANIEL are exilic, during the
eople.
CHRONICLES, 1 2
captivity in Babylonia.
EXODUS the
going
out of
repeats much of the history of 2
Ofthe
12
Minor (lesser)
od's people
from
Egypt and
Sam.
and 1 2 Kings, focusing
Prophets, HOSEA, JOEL,
he giving of the law at
Mt.
on
particular historical events up
AMOS, OBADIAH, JONAH,
inai.
to the exile for Israel's sins.
MICAH, NAHUM,
LEVITICUS
the laws
EZRA NEHEMIAH
HABAKKUK AND
pertaining
to
the priestly work
record the return to Jerusalem
ZEPHANIAH are pre-exilic.
of
the tribe of Levi given atMt. after
the
exile
and
the rebuilding HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH, AND
Sinai .
of the temple.
MALACHI ARE POST-
NUMBERS the
numbering
ESTHER
lived during
this
EXILIC.
of the tribes and their journey to
time and is
an
example of God's
As
a whole these prophets
the border of Canaan, the
providence in
redeeuring
His
proclaim God's word, predict
promised land.
people
from
their enemies.
God's judgments on the disobe-
DEUTERONOMY
the
2.
THE POETRY dient, and promise his blessing
repetition of the
law
before
BOOKS: on those who repent.
going into the land of Canaan to
JOB tells us
HOW
TO
I ornelius Vanderwaal,
the next generation.
SUFFER. t s the poetic
Search the Scriptures vol. 1
JOSHUA the conquest of treatment of a patriarch who (Ontario: Paideia, 1978),
p.
43.
the land of Canaan by Moses'
lived and suffered during the
2
Ibid.
successor.
early part of the Genesis and
3 These New Testament head-
JUDGES the history of the
Abraham account.
ings are taken from Norman
people living in the land when
PSALMS mostly written by
Geisler
and
William Nix, A Gen
ruled
by
different judges; which
David, tells us HOW TO
eral Introduction
t
the Bible
means deliverers or Saviors.
WORSHIP. t contains songs,
(Chicago: Moody, 1986), p. 27.
RUTH a personal account
prayers, confessions, and
of
Ruth during the period of the
aspirations.
judges and
an
anc estor of Jesus.
PROVERBS mostly written
SAMUEL
1
2
the last
by Solomon, tells
us HOW
TO
judge,
and the
first kings, Saul
LIVE.
and
David.
ECCLESIASTES, written
by
KINGS
1
2
David's
or about
Solomon
tells us
place is taken
by
Solomon,
HOW
TO
BE
HAPPY.
whose
kingdom
is later divided SONG
OF
SOLOMON,
in two the Northern Kingdom
written by or about Solomon,
(Jeroboam and 10 tribes), the
tells us HOW
TO
LOVE. It
Southern
Kingdom
(Rehoboam reflects the purity of human
December,1999/January,2000 THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon -15