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Wednesday—April 10 • The Bible’s Chronology
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4 The Bible records a chronology of God’s actions beginning with creation. After that comes the flood (Noah), the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc.), the period of Egyptian slavery, the exodus and the conquest of Canaan. After that you have the period of the Judges and then the kings, with Israel’s increasing wickedness, the Babylonian captivity and exile, and then the return to rebuild the temple. After 400 years of silence come the events recorded in the gospels with Jesus’ life and death and resurrection, the birth of the early church, and then the missions era with Paul and his team evangelizing and planting churches throughout the Roman empire. All that history was recorded over about 1400 years. Scripture also can be categorized by type of literature. The Bible includes historical data, prophetic information, books of
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poetry and wisdom, and declaration or teaching. Here’s the amazing thing: over all that time, and through each type of literature, God’s purpose is to encourage us by repeating His desire to be in relationship with His people. MIMBS 1 Today’s passage says the purpose of Scripture is to teach us and encourage us to persevere. How does the overarching theme of God’s desire for relationship with you help you to do that? Share your thoughts with your group. Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 34:1–Joshua 2:24, Luke 13:22–14:6, Psalm 79:1:1–13, Proverbs 12:26
Thursday—April 11 • Overarching Theme The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15
The Bible repeatedly shows God as our Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer. Paul applies those descriptions to Jesus. He said that in Jesus: all things were created; all things hold together; and we have peace with God, because Jesus shed His blood on the cross. Paul goes on to explain that we all were alienated from God, but Christ’s physical death made us “holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation . . . ” (Colossians 1:22). The Bible repeats themes in different ways so we can see how they apply to different people in different times and different
situations. When you really read the Bible, you see how all the pieces relate to each other. There is a sublime excellency to Scripture, because it is so fully integrated. The entire Bible teaches about the power of God’s name, and it releases His spiritual energy in our lives as we feed on His Word. MIMBS 1 Paul says Jesus is at the center of everything. Do you typically actively recognize this during your day? Why or why not? Daily Reading: Joshua 3:1–4:24, Luke 14:7–35, Psalm 80:1–19, Proverbs 12:27–28
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