Reading the Prophets and the OT in general

[Josh]

11/05:

I just realized the irony of using a quote from Jeremiah with the picture of Jeremy on the home page!

Profound. So, with that being said, how about a discussion question:

What has been your experience (or lack of experience) reading the Prophetic books of the Old Testament? Good, bad, indifferent?

[nathaniel]

11/05:

first of all, what exactly are the "prophetic" books? is that describing the whole old T, or just books like isaiah, jeremiah, etc.? as far as the old T in general goes, that's pretty much all i've read of the bible for the past some odd years. i decided to just start at genesis and go, and have just finished 2 kings (due to my i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y slow reading and a year and a half "bible break.") i would say my feelings are a mixed bag. i "like" reading it, and am interested in it, and think it's important/want to learn about it's importance. sometimes though, i feel i have a hard time sinking my teeth into it: i'm not sure what i'm supposed to be getting out of it, i don't have a good idea about its time and context in history, i don't know how to pronounce names, etc. i was about to start chronicles, but wasn't ready to take on the "sons of such and such" section. so i skipped to isaiah which i feel like i've been able to dig into a lil' bit.

[Josh]

11/05:

When I was referring to the prophetic books I meant the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah (and his other book Lamentations), Ezekiel, and Daniel and the 12 minor prophets: (Micah, Nahum, Joel, etc..). So, basically from Isaiah to the end of the OT. Yes, the prophets are in some ways more accessible to the modern reader than the historical books (they are more artistic, expressing emotion, moral themes, etc..); but I guess in other ways less accessible (the symbolic imagery can be quite dense). I think we have a tendency to want to read the OT as a chronological story written for US. Although all of the bible is useful for us, I think we need to realize that in some ways we're reading someone else's mail. I try to look at the historical books as snapshots of God at work in the real world. There's not always going to be some immediate practical application to what we're reading; we're just getting to know more about God, humanity, etc.. The degree of familiarity you have with the OT is directly proportional to a person's ability to rightly understand the New Testament. The Gospels and Epistles and especially the book of Revelation really can't be understood well without immersing yourself in the OT. It's a slow learning process, but rewarding.

[sarah]

11/05:

Hey Nate, Is there a particular reason you are reading the bible Gen-Rev? For me I find the OT helpful in learning more about God's nature. The themes that run through the OT so often reflect what I still struggle with today. I also love Isaiah. The Lord has spoken to me more out of that book than any other book in the whole bible.

[nathaniel]

11/05:

i decided to do gen-rev because i wanted/want to get the whole bible under my belt. i figured, it's like the appendix, it's there for a reason even if it can seem useless to us. so i thought what easier way to read the whole bible than starting from the beginning and reading til the end. at that point i could go back and dig in a little deeper and maybe jump around a little more. w/ that being said i just jumped from 2kings to isaiah. oops.

[michelle]

11/05:

OT: I have also found that I struggle being able to sink my teeth into the OT. Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can study the OT without falling asleep after reading a chapter? One of my biggest problems when I read the Bible is that I just read, but my brain isn't usually engaged in a "critical thinking" process at the same time. The Bible that I have has commentary on almost every verse, which I read to get a contextual understanding, but it takes so long to get through a chapter that way. Any suggestions for how to engage my brain??? One of the things I think might help is having a study guide or questions for each book, that way I am looking for information when I am reading instead of just reading. I am a much better investigator than I am student. Does anyone have anything like that??

[andy]

11/05:

One thing that worked well for me as a "Bible student" when I did correspondence studies through Moody Bible Institute (one of my 5 universities)was to read through once without stopping just to get the big picture. Don't even worry about writing down questions or themes, or even looking at context. Then, go back and read your notes on the chapter that your Bible gives you.
Still, I find this somewhat boring as well. So, to make it "come alive" I always incorporate extra biblical info--books about history of the time, people, and even archeology to make it more interesting...and remember, your version (whatever it may be) is only one of many versions...many times there is a slight slant in those comments that lead the reader towards particular theology that may or may not completely reflect the intent of the author. I prefer to take those with a grain of salt, and if something really intrigues me, such as proficies, I will get a book or commentary outside of my Bible's comments to dig deeper. This will make it more interesting, and hopefully you won't fall asleep as quickly.

[sarah]

11/05:

Michelle, I have a bible on cd that I can just listen to while I drive to work or wherever. I found it really brought the historical books of the OT to life because they are written from an oral history sort of perspective. I found it helpful in building familiarity more so than in deapth study. IF you think that might be helpful, let me know and you can borrow a few CD's. That could highlight areas you want to study more indepth later.

[Josh]

11/05:

Sarah: I think you're on to an important point: it's best to just get a general familiarity with the whole OT story before you actually do in depth study. BTW, how many of you feel you know the general outline of OT events well (from Creation to Jesus)? I find it really helpful to have an outline in my head so I can start making connections.

I would also say that it helps a lot to read through a book of the Bible with an eye out for a particular theme (like a question:"What I can learn about God" or a topic: "Peace" ,or focus on getting a clear understanding of the history events, or just trying to get the characters straight.

For those who don't multi-task too well this is helpful. You can always go back later and read the book in another light.

[michelle]

11/05:

OT: Thanks for the suggestions!! Sarah, I would love to borrow some of the OT cd's that you have. (And I hope you are feeling better).