Content: The Israelites’ long stay in the desert as they journey from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab, with supplemental covenant laws.

Author & Historical Coverage: Tradition holds that Moses is the author.  The book covers forty years in the desert, while the generation that left Egypt dies off.

Emphases: Preparation for military conquest of the promised land; God’s covenant loyalty toward Israel with regard to the land; Israel’s repeated failure to keep covenant with God; God’s leadership of his people and affirmation of Moses’ leadership; preparations for entering and worshiping in the promised land; conquest and settlement of the land east of the Jordan River.

Remember that the driving force behind this book is God’s promise to Abraham that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan.  God will fulfill that promise, even in the face of Israel’s reluctance and disobedience.  And God’s people do not come off well in Numbers.  They complain against God and his chosen leader, but God has great compassion on them.

Secondly, the conquest of the land will involve holy war.  This accounts for the two census lists of the men who can fight, as well as the narratives anticipating the conquest.

The focus of the laws is on the Israelites’ relationship with God.  The central role of the tabernacle and the priestly matters in Numbers focus on two concerns:  the presence of God in the midst of his people – both with them and guiding them – and the proper worship of God once they are settled in the land.

The failures of the people and the continued faithfulness of God are a testimony to the fact that this is God’s story, and that He is the hero.  He will continue to help them keep the covenant, even when they can not do it on their own.

Memory Verse – Numbers 23:19 - “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Much of this material is drawn from “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Content: Various laws having to do with holiness before God and with love of neighbor, including sacrifices, ritual cleanness, and social obligations, as well as laws for the Levites regarding their priestly duties.

Author & Date: Could be Moses or someone who wrote down all that happened during the time of Moses.

Emphases: Getting it right with regard to worship, for both people and priests; institution of the priesthood under Aaron; laws protecting ritual cleanness, including atonement for sins (the Day of Atonement); laws regulating sexual relations, family life, punishments for major crimes, festivals, and special years (Sabbaths and jubilees).

So how does Leviticus apply to us today?  Leviticus is part of the Old Covenant, under which we no longer live.  Therefore, the laws, the blessings, the curses, are all part of the covenant between God and Israel.  However, most of the moral aspects of the law are renewed in the New Covenant, and, since God is unchanging, the whole of Leviticus is a look at who God is and what it means to be holy before Him.  As we read Leviticus, we see the importance of holiness before God, the importance of loving our neighbors as ourselves, as well as many other ethical attitudes and behaviors that are unchanging.

Memory Verse – Leviticus 11:45 – “I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.”

Much of this material is drawn from “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Content: The story of Jesus from his baptism to his resurrection, about two-thirds of which tells of his ministry in Galilee, while the last third narrates his final week in Jerusalem.

Author & Date: Anonymous, but attributed (by Papias, ca. AD 125) to John Mark, a companion of Paul (Col 4:10) and later Peter (1 Pet 5:13); written around 65 AD (according to Papias, soon after the deaths of Paul and Peter in Rome).

Emphases: The kingdom of God, the reign of God, has come with Jesus; Jesus has brought about the new exodus promised in Isaiah; the kingly Messiah came in weakness, his identity a secret except to those to whom it is revealed; the way of the new exodus leads to Jesus’ death in Jerusalem; the way of discipleship is to take up a cross and follow Him.

1) The importance of cross-bearing discipleship – The Gospel according to Mark was written during a time of intense persecution under Nero in Rome.  As you read Mark, you may be able to see how Mark pays special attention to the suffering of Jesus and the fact that discipleship means sharing in the sufferings of Jesus by taking up our cross and following Him.

2) Jesus as Messiah – Mark emphasizes that Jesus is the kingly Messiah, but that this is to be kept secret – Jesus keeps telling people and demons not to reveal who He is.  He does not want the people’s conception of what a Messiah should be to thwart His mission of suffering and dying on the cross for the sins of the people.

3) The new exodus – Mark links Jesus’ story to the story of Israel with many references to Isaiah, who used exodus language to speak of the return from the Babylonian exile as a new exodus.  Just like Israel, Jesus must go through the water (baptism), be tested in the desert, and will eventually lead his people from exile into the final promised land (Mark 13).  This new exodus, however, differs in that it will include the gathering of the Gentile nations.

Memory Verse – Mark 10:26-27 – The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Much of this material is drawn from “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Content: Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, her constitution as a people through covenant law, and instructions for and construction of the tabernacle – the place of God’s presence.

Author & Date: Probably Moses.  The story begins with Joseph’s death (ca. 1600 B.C.?) and ends with Israel’s encampment at Sinai (either 1440 or 1260 BC)

Emphases: God’s miraculous rescue of Israel from Egypt through Moses; covenant law given at Mt. Sinai; the tabernacle as the place of God’s presence and Israel’s proper worship; God’s revelation of himself and his character; Israel’s tendency to complain and rebel against God; God’s judgment and mercy toward his people when they rebel.

1) God’s miraculous deliverance of his people from slavery – The story of Moses is given solely with his role in the exodus in view.  This is clearly God’s victory, over Pharaoh and the gods he represents, and the Passover will be an annual reminder of this great deliverance.
2) The return of the presence of God as distinguishing his people from all other peoples on the earth – The divine presence, which was lost in Eden, is restored as the central feature of Israel’s existence.  Moses recognizes the importance of God’s presence, pleading for God’s presence to go with them in Exodus 33:15-16.
3) The gift of the law as the means of establishing his covenant with them – The Ten Commandments and the Book of the Covenant are given in order to teach Israel how to relate to God and each other.  This covenant reveals who God is and what he wants from his people, and teaches that obedience is the path of covenant loyalty and blessing.

Exodus will be a theme throughout the Bible, most notably in Jesus delivering us from slavery to sin.  Certainly the presence of God will also be a key theme, with the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost ensuring that God will be with us wherever we go and replacing the need for a temple.  And, of course, the law is also a key theme, which will not only teach us about what it means to know God and live as His people, but will also show us our need for a Savior who will fulfill the law perfectly.

Memory Verse – Exodus 20:2-3 - “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before me.”

Much of this material is drawn from “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Content: The story of Jesus, from his birth to the Great Commission to his apostles to go into the world and make disciples

Author, Date & Purpose: Anonymous, but likely the disciple Matthew or one of his companions, likely written in 70s/80s to Jewish Christians

Emphases: Jesus is the Son of God, the messianic King of the Jews; Jesus is present with us in miraculous power; He is Lord of the church; the teaching of Jesus has continuing importance for God’s people; the gospel of the kingdom is for all people.

Content: The story of creation, human disobedience and its tragic consequences, and God choosing Abraham and his offspring as the beginning of the story of redemption

Historical coverage: From creation to the death of Joseph in Egypt (ca. 1600 BC?)

Emphases: God as the Creator, God’s creation of humans in His image, the nature and consequences of human disobedience, the beginning of the divine covenants, and God’s choice of a people through whom he will bless the nations.

Content: A love poem of several episodes, celebrating the sexual love between a man and a woman.

Author: Possibly Solomon, although it could have been written for him and not by him.

Emphases: The proper love of a woman and a man for one another; the unquenchable nature of pure love; the delight and longing for each other that pure love engenders.

The book is very poetic, with many metaphors and images intended to evoke the imagination.  The woman’s body and love are described in terms of a garden and vineyard full of precious spices and wine for the man’s pleasure.  Because of its poetic nature, you would be wise to read this book in more than one translation, for some bring out the beauty better than others.

Because of the forthrightness and evocative nature of these descriptions has led many to allegorize it, but that is most likely because of the way sexual love has become so twisted over the years.  God’s plan from the beginning was that the man and woman could be naked and unashamed (Genesis 2:24-25).  This celebration of sexual love is not something to be ashamed of, but should help us recognize how beautiful it is in God’s sight when a married man and woman love and serve each other.

Memory Verse: Song of Songs 8:4: - “Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:  Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

Much of this material is drawn from “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Content: The ponderings of a Wisdom teacher who wrestles with life’s realities; what is to be gained by achieving wealth or wisdom when in the end death claims both rich and poor, wise and foolish; but specially set in a context of knowing the fear of God.

Author: A wisdom teacher, possibly Solomon, but edited by a later editor.

Emphases: The transitory nature of present life; how to live wisely in a world where the only certainty is death and judgment; the futility of human pursuits that do not take the fear of God into account.

The king trusts in God and believes him to be just, but is convinced that the ways of the Creator are past finding out.  As a result, what is “done under the sun” doesn’t always add up right or seem fair to us.  The way things should be is not always the way things are.  Death is the great equalizer, and the king shows no hope in the resurrection, leading to his conclusion that life is meaningless.

Since we read this book confident of the hope in the resurrection and the certainty of divine judgment, we can understand how the king, who does not hope in the resurrection, sees life as meaningless, while not sharing his conclusion.  If we will not follow the editor’s advice and fear God and keep his commandments, then life will indeed be meaningless.

Memory Verse: Ecclesiastes 12:13:  Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter.  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Much of this material is drawn from “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Content: A series of opening poems praising wisdom and warning against folly, followed by several collections of proverbs from sages who taught wisom to Israel, starting with Solomon.

Author(s): Collection of proverbs originating with Solomon, various wise men, Agur, and Lemuel’s mother  – gathered and arranged for later generations by someone otherwise known.

Emphases: Wisdom begins with the fear of and trust in God; at the practical level, it consists of making wise choices between good and evil behavior; such wisdom is to be desired above all else in order to live a full and godly life.

How to read Proverbs:

Some things to keep in mind as you read are:

1) The Proverbs are poetry, with lots of rhythmic and sound alike patterns in order to make them memorable – alliteration, catchwords, poetic meter, allusions, and metaphors – some of which translate easily into English and some that do not.

2) The contrast between wisdom and folly is at its heart a contrast between righteous living and wicked living.  The two main themes in the first section (1:8-9:18) are easy money (money taken by corrupt means) and easy sex (being seduced by another man’s wife).  This is contrasted by the admonishment to love one’s wife for life (5:15-19), and Proverbs even ends with an idealized wife as a model of wisdom (31:10-31).

3) The second and third sections (10:1-15:29; 15:30-22:16) portrays righteousness and wisdom mean diligence in work and care of the land, prudent use of money, caring relationships with neighbor and in family, proper use of the tongue, and proper attitudes and actions, while folly is the opposite.

Memory Verse: Proverbs 9:10:  “The fear of hte Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Much of this material is drawn from “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.

]]> http://newlife-glastonbury.org/bibleplan/2011/01/07/how-to-read-proverbs-2/feed/ 0 http://newlife-glastonbury.org/bibleplan/2010/12/26/how-to-read-proverbs/ http://newlife-glastonbury.org/bibleplan/2010/12/26/how-to-read-proverbs/#comments Sun, 26 Dec 2010 05:00:25 +0000 Eric Stillman http://newlife-glastonbury.org/bibleplan/?p=559 (Every time we begin a new book, I will post a short aide on How to Read that book that will hopefully help you get the most out of your reading)

Content: A letter of correction, in which Paul stands over against the Corinthians on issue after issue, mostly behavioral, but which are nevertheless betrayals of the gospel of Christ and life in the Spirit.

Author and Date: The Apostle Paul, ca. AD 53-54, from Ephesus.