Introduction
Daily Study
It is important that the entire Bible be read, not just "favorite"
sections. As Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Tim. 3:16-17), "All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God
may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
For this class, you will be expected to have read through the
entire Bible. This is not as daunting a task as you may imagine.
Consider: the average printed Bible is between 1200 and 1300
pages long. Lets go for the higher figure. This course is intended
to be completed in one quarter -- that's ten weeks, or seventy
days. That means you only have to read a little over 18 and
a half pages per day to complete the entire Bible. Thus,
in an hour (probably less) per day, you can finish the entire
Bible in only ten weeks.
In reading the Bible for this class, we ask you to read it as
if it were a novel; that is, read it quickly, don't dawdle, and
pay attention to the thrust of the narrative. The goal is to
get the big picture, to understand the story line, not get lost
in small details and questions. Your goal is to see the forest,
not to stare at an individual tree.
This may be a new way of looking at the Bible for many people;
there are members of my local church, students and not, who seem
to have some sort of psychological block against reading the Bible
like they would another book.
Well, get over it. You'll get something valuable from doing
it this way that you'd never get any other way: an understanding
of the Biblical context, and the beginning of a glimmer about
how everything fits together.
No part of God's revelation should be ignored. Admittedly
there are portions of the Bible that are boring. You have to
make a decision: is God so stupid that he didn't realize some
sections just weren't very interesting (Be honest, do you turn
to 1 Chronicles chapters 1-9 when you have a bad day and need
some comfort? I thought not). Then perhaps the sections that
are boring really are there for a good reason (after all, if we
believe what Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:16-17, then we
have to acknowledge this point). It just means that the boring
sections need to be taken as a challenge: ask God, ask yourself:
why are these sections here? What is God trying to tell me?
Don't be a wimp and give up. It is, after all, the boring sections
that keep people from actually reading their Bibles all the way
through. Do you really like thinking of yourself as a wimp?
No? Then take the challenge. Plunge ahead. Get God's blessing
and discover what the purpose of the harder sections might really
be. The genealogies, descriptions of building the tabernacle, and
the service details of the priests -- they really aren't there just to
fill up space or cure insomnia.
And after this class is over, here's something else to consider.
On top of whatever other Bible reading you may do, it is a good
idea to read the Bible through on a yearly basis. It keeps you
in touch with the broader context and helps you avoid idiosyncratic
and faulty theology. You'll be less likely to take a given passage
the wrong way if you realize your first thought contradicts most
of the rest of God's revelation.
No part of God's revelation should be ignored; therefore reading
the entire Bible through on a regular basis cannot help but be
valuable. In only fifteen minutes a day, a person can read through
the entire Bible in a year. Simply find today's date and begin.
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JANUARY
1 Gen 1-3
2 Gen 4-7
3 Gen 8-11
4 Gen 12-15
5 Gen 16-18
6 Gen 19-20
7 Gen 21-23
8 Gen 24-25
9 Gen 26-27
10 Gen 28-30
11 Gen 31-32
12 Gen 33-35
13 Gen 36-38
14 Gen 39-41
15 Gen 42-44
16 Gen 45-47
17 Gen 48-50
18 Exo 1-3
19 Exo 4-6
20 Exo 7-9
21 Exo 10-12
22 Exo 13-15
23 Exo 16-18
24 Exo 19-21
25 Exo 22-24
26 Exo 25-27
27 Exo 28-29
28 Exo 30-32
29 Exo 33-35
30 Exo 36-38
31 Exo 39-40
FEBRUARY
1 Lev 1-3
2 Lev 4-5
3 Lev 6-7
4 Lev 8-9
5 Lev 10-12
6 Lev 13
7 Lev 14-15
8 Lev 16-18
9 Lev 19-21
10 Lev 22-23
11 Lev 24-25
12 Lev 26-27
13 Num 1-2
14 Num 3-4
15 Num 5-6
16 Num 7
17 Num 8-10
18 Num 11-13
19 Num 14-15
20 Num 16-17
21 Num 18-19
22 Num 20-21
23 Num 22-24
24 Num 25-26
25 Num 27-29
26 Num 30-31
27 Num 32-33
28 Num 34-36
MARCH
1 Deu 1-2
2 Deu 3-4
3 Deu 5-7
4 Deu 8-10
5 Deu 11-12
6 Deu 13-15
7 Deu 16-18
8 Deu 19-21
9 Deu 22-24
10 Deu 25-27
11 Deu 28
12 Deu 29-31
13 Deu 32-34
14 Jos 1-3
15 Jos 4-6
16 Jos 7-9
17 Jos 10-11
18 Jos 12-14
19 Jos 15-17
20 Jos 18-20
21 Jos 21-22
22 Jos 23-24
23 Jud 1-3
24 Jud 4-6
25 Jud 7-8
26 Jud 9-10
27 Jud 11-13
28 Jud 14-16
29 Jud 17-19
30 Jud 20-21
31 Rut 1-4
APRIL
1 1 Sam 1-3
2 1 Sam 4-7
3 1 Sam 8-10
4 1 Sam 11-13
5 1 Sam 14-15
6 1 Sam 16-17
7 1 Sam 18-20
8 1 Sam 21-24
9 1 Sam 25-27
10 1 Sam 28-31
11 2 Sam 1-3
12 2 Sam 4-7
13 2 Sam 8-11
14 2 Sam 12-13
15 2 Sam 14-15
16 2 Sam 16-18
17 2 Sam 19-20
18 2 Sam 21-22
19 2 Sam 23-24
20 1 Kin 1-2
21 1 Kin 3-5
22 1 Kin 6-7
23 1 Kin 8
24 1 Kin 9-10
25 1 Kin 11-12
26 1 Kin 13-14
27 1 Kin 15-17
28 1 Kin 18-19
29 1 Kin 20-21
30 1 Kin 22
MAY
1 2 Kin 1-3
2 2 Kin 4-5
3 2 Kin 6-8
4 2 Kin 9-10
5 2 Kin 11-13
6 2 Kin 14-16
7 2 Kin 17-18
8 2 Kin 19-21
9 2 Kin 22-23
10 2 Kin 24-25
11 1 Chr 1-2
12 1 Chr 3-5
13 1 Chr 6-7
14 1 Chr 8-10
15 1 Chr 11-13
16 1 Chr 14-16
17 1 Chr 17-20
18 1 Chr 21-23
19 1 Chr 24-26
20 1 Chr 27-29
21 2 Chr 1-4
22 2 Chr 5-7
23 2 Chr 8-11
24 2 Chr 12-15
25 2 Chr 16-19
26 2 Chr 20-22
27 2 Chr 23-25
28 2 Chr 26-28
29 2 Chr 29-30
30 2 Chr 31-33
31 2 Chr 34-36
JUNE
1 Ezr 1-2
2 Ezr 3-4
3 Ezr 5-6
4 Ezr 7-8
5 Ezr 9-10
6 Neh 1-2
7 Neh 3-4
8 Neh 5-6
9 Neh 7
10 Neh 8
11 Neh 9
12 Neh 10-11
13 Neh 12-13
14 Est 1-2
15 Est 3-4
16 Est 5-7
17 Est 8-10
18 Job 1-3
19 Job 4-6
20 Job 7-9
21 Job 10-12
22 Job 13-15
23 Job 16-19
24 Job 20-22
25 Job 23-27
26 Job 28-30
27 Job 31-33
28 Job 34-36
29 Job 37-39
30 Job 40-42
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JULY
1 Psa 1-10
2 Psa 11-19
3 Psa 20-27
4 Psa 28-34
5 Psa 35-39
6 Psa 40-47
7 Psa 48-55
8 Psa 56-65
9 Psa 66-71
10 Psa 72-77
11 Psa 78-82
12 Psa 83-89
13 Psa 90-97
14 Psa 98-104
15 Psa 105-108
16 Psa 109-118
17 Psa 119
18 Psa 120-135
19 Psa 136-142
20 Psa 143-150
21 Pro 1-5
22 Pro 6-10
23 Pro 11-14
24 Pro 15-18
25 Pro 19-22
26 Pro 23-27
27 Pro 28-31
28 Ecc 1-4
29 Ecc 5-8
30 Ecc 9-12
31 SSo 1-8
AUGUST
1 Isa 1-4
2 Isa 5-8
3 Isa 9-13
4 Isa 14-19
5 Isa 20-25
6 Isa 26-29
7 Isa 30-33
8 Isa 34-37
9 Isa 38-42
10 Isa 43-46
11 Isa 47-50
12 Isa 51-56
13 Isa 57-61
14 Isa 62-66
15 Jer 1-3
16 Jer 4-6
17 Jer 7-9
18 Jer 10-13
19 Jer 14-17
20 Jer 18-21
21 Jer 22-24
22 Jer 25-27
23 Jer 28-30
24 Jer 31-32
25 Jer 33-36
26 Jer 37-40
27 Jer 41-44
28 Jer 45-48
29 Jer 49-50
30 Jer 51-52
31 Lam 1-5
SEPTEMBER
1 Eze 1-5
2 Eze 6-10
3 Eze 11-14
4 Eze 15-17
5 Eze 18-20
6 Eze 21-23
7 Eze 24-27
8 Eze 28-30
9 Eze 31-33
10 Eze 34-36
11 Eze 37-39
12 Eze 40-42
13 Eze 43-45
14 Eze 46-48
15 Dan 1-3
16 Dan 4-6
17 Dan 7-9
18 Dan 10-12
19 Hos 1-7
20 Hos 8-14
21 Joe 1-3
22 Amo 1-4
23 Amo 5-9
24 Oba, Jon 1-4
25 Mic 1-7
26 Nah 1-3; Hab 1-3
27 Zep 1-3; Hag 1-2
28 Zec 1-7
29 Zec 8-14
30 Mal 1-4
OCTOBER
1 Mat 1-3
2 Mat 4-6
3 Mat 7-9
4 Mat 10-11
5 Mat 12-13
6 Mat 14-15
7 Mat 16-18
8 Mat 19-20
9 Mat 21-22
10 Mat 23-24
11 Mat 25-26
12 Mat 27-28
13 Mar 1-2
14 Mar 3-4
15 Mar 5-6
16 Mar 7-8
17 Mar 9-10
18 Mar 11-12
19 Mar 13-14
20 Mar 15-16
21 Luk 1-2
22 Luk 3-4
23 Luk 5-6
24 Luk 7-8
25 Luk 9-10
26 Luk 11-12
27 Luk 13-15
28 Luk 16-18
29 Luk 19-20
30 Luk 21-22
31 Luk 23-24
NOVEMBER
1 Joh 1-2
2 Joh 3-4
3 Joh 5-6
4 Joh 7-8
5 Joh 9-10
6 Joh 11-12
7 Joh 13-14
8 Joh 15-17
9 Joh 18-19
10 Joh 20-21
11 Act 1-2
12 Act 3-4
13 Act 5-6
14 Act 7-8
15 Act 9-10
16 Act 11-12
17 Act 13-14
18 Act 15-16
19 Act 17-18
20 Act 19-20
21 Act 21-22
22 Act 23-24
23 Act 25-26
24 Act 27-28
25 Rom 1-2
26 Rom 3-5
27 Rom 6-8
28 Rom 9-10
29 Rom 11-13
30 Rom 14-16
DECEMBER
1 1Co 1-5
2 1Co 6-9
3 1Co 10-13
4 1Co 14-16
5 2Co 1-5
6 2Co 6-9
7 2Co 10-13
8 Gal 1-3
9 Gal 4-6
10 Eph 1-3
11 Eph 4-6
12 Phi 1-4
13 Col 1-4
14 1Th 1-5
15 2Th 1-3
16 1Ti 1-6
17 2Ti 1-4
18 Tit 1-3; Phn
19 Heb 1-6
20 Heb 7-10
21 Heb 11-13
22 Jam 1-5
23 1Pe 1-5
24 2Pe 1-3
25 1Jo 1-5
26 2Jo; 3Jo; Jud
27 Rev 1-4
28 Rev 5-9
29 Rev 10-14
30 Rev 15-18
31 Rev 19-22
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