Resting at the River’s Edge – September 2010 Recommended Reading Plan – The History of a Nation and Guidance for the Newly Formed Churches
Posted by Sandy in Reading through the Bible in a Year, tags: 1 John, 1 Kings, 1 Timothy, 2 John, 2 Timothy, 3 John, Job, Luke, Reading through the Bible, Resting at the River's Edge, Ruth
The History of a Nation and
Guidance for the Newly Formed Churches
Kings, Kings and More Kings
We will spend the bulk of our Old Testament reading First and Second Kings. Don’t lose sight of the message in the succession of kings and their exploits. The two overriding messages in the books of Kings are:
- God is faithful and His people (i.e., us and our forefathers) continually turn away from Him. In the book of Kings, we see his judgement ultimately play out in the exile of the Israelites to Babylon.
- Nations follow their leaders. We will see again and again that the spiritual climate of the Israelites very much followed that of their leader.
We’ll follow up our reading in First and Second Kings with the book of Ruth – a book that is all about courage, faithfulness and redemption. Many see it as a love story, but it is so much more than romance. It is the courage of a young woman, the faithfulness of God and the redemption of God’s people. That makes it a great book to cleanse our palates after reading Kings.
Forming a New Nation of Believers
As we read the books of Kings, we’ll also read what is commonly referred to as the “Pastoral Epistles” – the last writings of Paul, which are letters to Timothy and Titus. These letters provide instruction and guidance about caring for and protecting the newly born churches. The letters focus on church life, as well as leadership qualifications and responsibilities. The recurring themes in these books is keeping true to sound doctrine and living a life of godliness.
While it may seem that we are reading these books out of order (we’ll read 1 Timothy, then Titus, then 2 Timothy), this is the order in which they were written. 2 Timothy is widely believed to have been written shortly before Paul’s execution in AD 66-67. As you read this last letter of Paul’s keep in mind what he penned in chapter 4:
6As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.
There was a time when I didn’t much like the Apostle Paul. Now, I want to be like him when I grow up. How about you?
Blessings as you read this month. May God speak to your heart and spirit.
The recommended reading schedule is below.
To download a PDF of September’s recommended reading plan, click here.
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