The Bible Book by Book, Josiah Blake Tidwell [best beach reads of all time .TXT] 📗
- Author: Josiah Blake Tidwell
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Typical Matters. (1) Ruth is a type of Christ's Gentile bride and her experience is similar to that of any devout Christian. (2) Boaz the rich Bethlehemite accepting this strange woman in an illustration of the redemptive work of Jesus.
The Key-words are love and faith.
Analysis.
I. The Sojourn at Moab, 1:1-5.
II. The Return to Jerusalem, 1:6-22.
III. Ruth and Boaz, Chs. 2-4.
1. Gleaning the fields of Boaz, Ch. 2.
2. Ruth married to Boaz, Chs. 3-4.
A. A bold act, Ch. 3.
B. Redemption of Naomi's inheritance, 4:1-12.
C. Becomes wife of Boaz, 4:13-17.
D. Genealogy of David, 4:18-22.
Some one has said that Ch. 1 is Ruth deciding, Ch. 2 is Ruth serving, Ch. 3 is Ruth resting, Ch. 4 is Ruth rewarded.
For Study and Discussion. (1) Each of the characters of the book. (2) The whole story of Ruth in comparison with the stories of Judges (Chs. 17-21) to get a view of the best and worst in their social conditions. (3) The value of a trusting soul (Ruth).
First and Second Samuel..
Name. The name is taken from the history of the life of Samuel recorded in the early part of the book. It means "asked of God." The two were formerly one book and called the "First Book of Kings," the two books of Kings being one book and called Second Kings. Samuel and Kings form a continuous story, and give us a record of the rise, glory and fall of the Jewish Monarchy.
First Samuel.
Contents. This book begins with the story of Eli. the aged priest, judge and leader of the people. It records the birth and childhood of Samuel, who later becomes priest and prophet of the people. It tells of Saul's elevation to the throne and of his final downfall. Along with this is also given the growing power of David, who is to succeed Saul as king.
The Prophets. Samuel was not only both judge and priest and prophet, but as prophet he performed conspicuous services in several directions. Probably the most notable of all his work was the establishment of schools of prophets, which greatly dignified the work of the prophets. After this time, the prophet and not the priest was the medium of communication between God and his people.
Saul. As king, Saul began well and under favorable circumstances. He gave himself to military exploits and neglected the finer spiritual matters and soon made a complete break with Samuel, who represented the religious-national class-and thereby lost the support of the best elements of the nation. He then became morose and melancholy and insanely jealous in conduct and could not, therefore, understand the higher religious experiences that were necessary as a representative of Jehovah on the throne of Israel.
Analysis.
I. Career of Samuel, Chs. 1-7.
1. His birth and call, Chs. 1-3.
2. His conflict with the Philistines, Chs. 4-7.
II. Career of Saul to his rejection, Chs. 8-15.
1. Chosen as King, Chs. 8-10.
2. Wars with Philistines, Chs. 11-14.
3. He is rejected, Chs. 15.
III. Career of Saul after his rejection, Chs. 16-31.
1. While David is at his court, Chs. 16-20.
2. While David is a refugee in Judah, Chs. 21-26.
3. While David is a refugee in Philistia, Chs. 27-31.
For Study and Discussion. (1) The story of Eli and his sons. (2) The birth and call of Samuel. (3) The anointing of Saul. (4) The anointing of David. (5) The evils of jealousy as seen in Saul. (6) The importance of respect for existing forms of government-see David's attitude toward Saul. (7) How a man's attitude toward God and his servants can make or mar his destiny. (8) Examples of how God uses both good and bad carrying forward his purposes.
Second Samuel.
In this book, there is given the story of the career of David while king of Israel. He was the strongest king Israel ever had and was characterized as a fine executive, a skillful soldier and of a deeply religious disposition. He was not without his faults, but in spite of them developed a great empire.
Analysis.
I. His Reign Over Judah a Hebren, Chs. 1-4.
II. His reign Over All Israel, Chs. 5-10.
III. His Great Sin and Its Results, Chs. 11-20.
IV. An Appendix, Chs. 21-34.
For Study and Discussion. (1) How David became king. (2) His victories in war. (3) His great sin and some of its consequences. (4) His kindness toward his enemies (see also his attitude toward Saul recorded in First Samuel). (5) The kindness of God as illustrated by the story of David's kindness to Mephibosheth, Ch. 9. (6) David's psalm of praise, Chs. 22-23. (7) The different occasions when David showed a penitent spirit (8) The great pestilence. Ch. 24.
First and Second Kings.
Name. The name is taken from the Kings whose deeds they narrate.
Contents. It takes up the history of Israel where Second Samuel left off and gives the account of the death of David, the reign of Solomon, the Divided Kingdom, and the captivity.
Purpose. The political changes of Israel are given in order to show the religious condition. Everywhere there is a conflict between faith and unbelief, between the worship of Jehovah and the worship of Baal. We see wicked kings who introduce false worship and righteous kings who bring about reforms and try to overthrow false worship. Israel yields to evil and is finally cut off, but Judah repents and is restored to perpetuate the kingdom and to be the medium through which Jesus came.
The Kingdom of Solomon. Solomon began in glory, flourished a while and then ended in disgrace. He sacrificed the most sacred principles of the nation in order to form alliances with other nations. He attempted to concentrate all worship on Mount Moriah, probably hoping that in this way he might control all nations. He finally became a tyrant and robbed the people of their liberty.
The Two Kingdoms. This is a sad story of dissension and war and defeat. Israel or the northern kingdom was always jealous of Judah. It was by far the stronger and possessed a much larger and more fertile land. There were nineteen king, from Jeroboam to Hoshea, whose names and the number of years they reigned should be learned together with the amount of scripture included in the story of each. Judah or the southern kingdom was always a little more faithful to the true worship. There were twenty kings, from Rehoboam to Zedekiah, whose lives with the number of years they reigned and the scripture passages describing each, should be tabulated and learned.
The Captivity. It is made clear that the captivity is because of sin. God having spared them for a long time. (1) Israel was taken captivity by the Assyrian Empire, whose capital was Nineveh. This marks the end of the northern tribes. (2) Judah was captured by the Babylonian Empire, but after a period of seventy years, the people were restored to their own land.
Analysis of First Kings.
I. The Reign of Solomon, Chs. 1-11.
1. His accession, Chs. 1-4.
2. Building the Temple, Chs. 5-8.
3. His greatness and sin, Chs. 9-11.
II. The Revolt and Sin of The Ten Tribes, Chs. 12-16.
III. The Reign of Ahab and the Career of Elijah, Chs. 17-22.
Analysis of Second Kings.
I. The last days of Elijah, Chs. 1-2.
II. The career of Elisha, Chs. 3-8.
III. The dynasty of Jehu, Chs. 9-14.
IV. The fall of Israel, Chs. 15-17.
V. The Kingdom of Judah, Chs. 18-25.
For Study and Discussion (1) Contrast the character of David with that of Solomon. Give the ideal elements and the defects of each. Also compare them as rulers. (2) Contrast the character of Elijah with that of Elisha. Point out the elements of strength and weakness in each. Compare the great moral and religious truth taught by each as well as the great deeds performed by them. (3) Study this as the cradle of liberty. Note Elijah's resistance of tyrants and Ahab in the vineyard of Naboth. Look for other instances. (4) Consider the place of the prophets. Note their activity in the affairs of government. Glance through these books and make a list of all prophets who are named and note the character of their message and the king or nation to whom each spoke. (5) Make a list of the kings of Israel and learn the story of Jeroboam I, Omri, Ahab, Jehu, Jeroboam II and Hoshea. (6) Make a list of the kings of Judah and learn the principal events and the general character of the reign of Rehoboam, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah and Zedekiah. (7) The fall of Judah. (8) The failure of human governments, (a) the cause, (b) the manifestation and result.
First and Second Chronicles.
Name. The name Chronicles was given by Jerome. They were the "words of days" and the translators of the Septuagint named them the "things omitted." They were originally one book.
Contents. Beginning with Adam the history of Israel is rewritten down to the return of Judah from captivity.
Relation to Former Books. It covers the same field as all the others. To this time the books have fitted one into another and formed a continuous history. Here we double back and review the whole history, beginning with Adam, and coming down to the edict of Cyrus which permitted the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem.
Religious Purpose of the Narratives. Several things show these books to have a religious purpose. (1) God's care of his people and his purpose to save them is given special emphasis. (2) The building of the temple is given much prominence. (3) The kings who served God and destroyed idols are given the most conspicuous place. (4) He follows the line of Judah. only mentioning Israel where it seemed necessary. In this way he was following the Messianic line through David. (5) The priestly spirit permeates these books instead of the prophetic elements as in the earlier historical books. The aim, therefore, seems to be to teach rather than to narrate. He seems to teach that virtue and vice, in private or in national affairs, will surely receive their dues-that God must be taken into account in the life of individuals and of nations.
Analysis of First Chronicles.
I. The Genealogies, Chs. 1-9.
II. The Reign of David, Chs. 10-29.
1. Accession and great men, Chs.10-12.
2. Zeal for Jehovah's house, Chs. 13-17.
3. His victories, Chs. 18-20.
4. The numbering of the people, Chs. 21.
5. Provision for the temple, Chs. 22-29.
Analysis of Second Chronicles.
I. The Reign of Solomon, Chs. 1-9.
1. Building of the temple, Cha. 1-4.
2. Dedication of the temple, Chs. 5-7.
3. Solomon's greatness and wealth, Chs. 8-9.
II. Judah After the Revolt of the Ten Tribes, Chs. 10-36.
1. Reign of Rehoboam, Chs. 10-12.
2. Victory of Abijah, Chs. 13.
3. Reign of Asa, Chs. 14-16.
4. Reign of Jehoshaphat, Chs. 21-28.
5. Reign of Hezekiah, Chs. 29-32.
6. Reign of Manasseh and Amon, Ch. 33.
7. Reign of Josiah, Chs. 34-35.
8. The captivity, Ch, 36.
For Study and Discussion. (1) The great men of David. (2) The different victories won by David. (3) The dedication of the temple, especially the prayer. (4) The wealth and follies of Solomon. (5) The scripture and God's house as a means and source of all information, see: (a) Asa's restoration of the altar and its vessels, (b) Jehoshaphat's teaching the people God's law, (c) Joash and God's restored house, (d) The reforms Of Josiah. (6) The reign of Manasseh. (7) The nature of the worship of Judah. (8) The captivity. (9) The value of true religion to a nation. (10) The evil results of idolatry.
Ezra, Nehemiah and Ester.
Ezra and Nehemiah.
Name. Ezra and Nehemiah were formerly counted as one book and contain the account of the restoration of the exiles to Jerusalem and the re- establishment of their worship. They soon came to be called First and Second Ezra. Jerome first called the second book Nehemiah. Wycliffe called them the first and second Esdras and
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