Looking back at the year 2017, one of the most memorable parts was reading through the Bible. I used the Read Scripture reading plan, which is affiliated with the Bible Project. One of the most helpful parts of this plan was that it includes overview videos for each book of the Bible that help guide ones reading. I also like how the plan organizes the Old Testament books in their original Hebrew arrangement (e.g., 1-2 Chronicles comes last). The plan divides the Bible into 16 “chapters”:
- Creation and Fall (Genesis 1-11),
- Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12-50),
- The Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 1-18),
- The Covenant at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-Leviticus 27),
- The Wilderness (Numbers and Deuteronomy),
- The Promised Lane (Joshua and Judges),
- Rise and Fall of Israel’s Kingdom (Ruth – 2 Kings),
- The Prophets Before the Exile (Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah),
- The Wisdom of Israel (Job, Psalms 1-2, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon)
- The Prophets of the Exile (Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel),
- Return from Exile (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther),
- Prophets After the Exile (Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi),
- The Story So Far (1-2 Chronicles),
- Jesus and the Kingdom (Matthew, Mark, John, Luke, Acts),
- The People of the Kingdom (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude), and
- The Revelation (Revelation)
Having the books organized into these named “chapters” helps me remember that the books of the Bible form one “unified story that leads to Jesus” (Bible Project mission statement).
In addition to each day’s reading, the plan has you also pray through a Psalm or part of a Psalm; I really enjoyed reading a Psalm and praying the words back to God.
I plan to do this plan again in 2018 and I would recommend it to you. To get started with this plan you will need the following:
1. Access to the plan (Read Scripture app or via a PDF of the plan)
2. Bible (physical or electronic)
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| During the video, the narrator illustrates a pictorial guide to the book being covered. Here is an example of the finished product for the book of Genesis. |
The plan takes about 15-20 minutes each day for Bible reading and each summary video is about 8-10 minutes. Most books have one summary video, but a few of the longer books such as Genesis or Romans have two. (Towards the end of 2017 I started reading out loud rather than silently, and I found that this practice helps me slow down, focus, and read more meditatively.)
Since it can be hard to stick with a reading plan once life gets back to full speed after the holiday break, here are some tips. First, I recommend doing the plan with someone. Leanna and I both did the plan in 2017 and towards the end both of us benefitted from each other’s encouragement to stick with it. Second, if you get behind you can catch up by listening to the Bible while you drive, do housework, etc. There are a number of ways to listen to the Bible for free, including the Bible.is app.
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| Here is another example of the Bible Project's helpful pictorial guide, this one for the books of 1 John - 3 John. |
Finally, here are some extra tips to make the most out of your reading. First, the Bible is a complex book that can be challenging to read! To help guide you as you read, I recommend using a reading aid such as a study bible (e.g., the ESV Study Bible) or How to Read the Bible Book by Book. These resources will point out what you should be looking for as you read. In addition, before you read each book, it is a good idea to read a short description of the book as can be found in a good study bible or a Bible dictionary (e.g., the New Bible Dictionary). This will help you get “the lay of the land” before you start reading, understanding things such as literary genre, relationship to other books, etc.
May the Lord bless your bible reading in 2018!
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