February 17-23, 2013

February 17 – 23 2013

Old Testament, Leviticus 15-27

What was the purpose of the day of atonement described in chapter 16? In chapter 18, God rules out a number of sexual relationships, including close relatives, same-sex relationships, and humans with animals.  What was God’s purpose in making these rules? God told the people not to reap to the very edges of their fields or gather the gleanings.  How would this principle apply to the way you manage your finances today? In 20:7, God says, “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.”  What does it mean for you to be holy? Why didn’t God allow Israelites to offer animals that had a defect? Chapter 23 describes a series of feasts and holy days that Israelites were to observe.  What benefit would there be for people to faithfully observe these? What was the purpose of the year of Jubilee? Did the promises in chapter 26 that God said would result from obedience apply to the nation as a whole or to individuals? Why did God promise such harsh punishments for disobedience?

Psalms 21-23

Jesus quoted the first sentence of Psalm 22 when He was on the cross.  Why did David write it?  What reason did he have for thinking he had been forsaken? Psalm 22:14-18 sounds more like Jesus’ experience on the cross than anything David experienced.  How could David have written this? What does it mean to you to have the Lord as your shepherd?

New Testament, Acts 1-5

What did Jesus say would happen to the disciples when the Holy Spirit came on them?  Why didn’t He want them to leave Jerusalem until they had received what He promised? Was selecting Matthias to replace Judas a worthwhile idea? What miraculous things happened on the day of Pentecost? On the night that Jesus was betrayed, Peter denied Him three times.  On the day of Pentecost Peter stood before a crowd and boldly proclaimed, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  How do you account for this difference? Acts 2:42 summarizes what the first Christians’ fellowship was like.  Which of these elements are important to you: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer? The man who was healed in chapter 3 had been placed at the temple gate daily.  Peter and John had probably seen him before.  Why was he healed on this particular day? Why did Ananias and Sapphira die?

February 10-16, 3013

February 10 – 16 2013

Old Testament, Leviticus 1-14

Leviticus is not the easiest book of the Bible to read.  It includes rules for offering sacrifices that were required under Old Testament Law and the New Testament teaches us that we are no longer under the Law.  But don’t skip Leviticus.  In it you will learn things about the character of God and his relationship with us. Why would God give specific instructions on how to offer animal sacrifices?  Shouldn’t a pure heart make anything a person offers to God acceptable? Chapter 2 explains how to bring a grain offering.  What is the point of a grain offering when Leviticus later says, “it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11)? Why were there different requirements in chapter 4 for offerings for sin for a priest, the whole community, a leader, or a member of the community? What was the penalty (in chapter 6) for cheating your neighbor out of something? Why do you think God told people they could not eat fat or blood? What was the significance of the glory and fire mentioned in Leviticus 9:23-24? What was wrong with what Nadab and Abihu did in chapter 10?  Why do you think they did it? What kinds of animals were people not permitted to eat under the Law? Why were the rules regarding infectious skin diseases so stringent?

Psalms 19-20

How do the heavens declare the glory of God? Psalm 19:14 is a prayer with a specific request from God.  How would asking God to do this in you change your life? Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”  What might you be tempted to trust in that would be like trusting in horses and chariots?

New Testament, John 20-21

When Peter and John got to the tomb, why was Jesus gone, but His burial clothes still there? Why didn’t Thomas believe it when the other disciples told him they had seen Jesus? According to John 20:31, what is the purpose of the book of John? Jesus told his disciples to make a simple change, using what they already had in hand, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”  The results were amazing.  What other Biblical examples can you think of where God gave simple directions that had amazing results?  What do these examples mean to the way you approach prayer and obedience? Why did Jesus tell Peter that if he loved Jesus, he should feed His sheep? In verse 23, Jesus asked Peter, “what is that to you?”  What benefit will you get from obeying the Lord without worrying if others have to do the same thing you are doing?

January 27 - February 2, 2013

January 27 – February 2, 2013

Old Testament, Exodus 1-20

What caused life to get harsher for the Israelites in Egypt? How did Moses happen to grow up as a grandson of Pharaoh?  How did he end up running away to Midian? Why was Moses reluctant to obey God when God told him to go back to Egypt to lead the people out of slavery? What did Moses do after he went to Pharaoh the first time and Pharaoh made things harder for Israel? When Moses asked Pharaoh when he wanted to be rid of the frogs, why did he say “tomorrow” instead of “right now”? Various passages describing the plagues say that Pharaoh’s heart was hard, Pharaoh hardened his heart, and God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  Was he acting on his own will or was God making him stubborn? Being spared from losing your firstborn required a simple act of faith and obedience.  What would your attitude have been if Moses told you to put lamb’s blood on the sides and top of your doorframe? In chapter 14 the Israelites seemed like they were in an impossible situation, with the sea in front of them and an army behind them.  If you find yourself in an impossible situation, what attitude should you take and what should you do? Why wouldn’t manna keep overnight, except on the Sabbath?  What do you need to believe God for on a daily basis? What promise did God attach to the command to honor your father and mother?

Psalms 12-16

Psalm 13:1, written by David, asks, “Will you forget me forever?”  The Bible clearly tells us that He won’t forget us. (Isaiah 49:15, for example).  Why is David’s question in the Bible? Who is it who thinks there is no God? What does Psalm 16:8 mean saying, “I have set the Lord always before me”?

New Testament, John 11-15

John 11:25 says that a person can live even though they die.  What does this mean? At a dinner to honor Jesus, Mary was accused of overdoing it.  What is an appropriate way to honor Jesus? In John 13:14, Jesus told us to wash one another’s feet.  Some churches do this with foot washing ceremonies.  What other ways might you obey Jesus’ command? Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life.  What does this mean? What one command did Jesus give us in chapter 15 that He said would assure that we would bear fruit?  What does this mean?

January 20-26, 2013

January 20 – 26, 2013

Old Testament, Genesis 34-50

Do you think Jacob’s sons did right or wrong in chapter 34?  Why? God calls Himself by a variety of names in the Bible, often names that emphasize His relationship with us.  Why do you think, when talking to Jacob in 35:1, He calls Himself “God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau”? Why did Joseph’s brothers want to kill him? Joseph was sold as a slave by his own brothers.  What does is mean in 39:2, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered”?  What does 39:21, when Joseph was in prison, mean saying “the Lord was with him”? In 41:51-52 Joseph names his sons.  By this time in his life he had experienced unusual favor and unusual suffering.  The names he chose for his sons show that he was still thinking of his suffering, but thanking God for favor.  Do you think Joseph was healed from the pain of being sold into slavery and unjustly imprisoned?  What do you think it takes to be healed from past hurt? In 42:36 Jacob says, “Everything is against me.”  This was far from true.  God had made great promises to Jacob and was working to fulfill them. What do you need to do to keep your eyes on God’s promises and plan in the face of adversity? What was Joseph’s motive in chapter 44 for having his cup put in Benjamin’s sack? In chapter 44 Judah offers to become a slave in place of his brother Benjamin.  Back in chapter 37 Judah was the one who introduced the idea of selling Joseph into slavery.  How had he changed? Why was Joseph able to forgive his brothers?  We are commanded to forgive as the Lord forgave us.  Is there anyone you need to forgive?

Psalms 9-11

David says, “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart.”  What does it mean to praise the Lord with all your heart? In Psalm 10, the psalmist wonders why God doesn’t intervene when wicked men are leaving God out of their lives.  He says, “in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”  What should your attitude be toward people who seem to be ignoring God?

New Testament, John 8-10

What does Jesus’ response to the woman caught in adultery show you about His attitude toward sin and mercy? What did Jesus mean when He said the truth would set us free?  What do we have to do to be set free by the truth? Why did the disciples assume that the man in chapter 9 was born blind either because of his sin or his parents’ sin? What does Jesus say is the distinct characteristic of His sheep?

January 13-19, 2013

January 13 – 19, 2013

Old Testament, Genesis 20-33

How could Abraham trust God in some areas that required great faith and then tell a lie about Sarah being his sister because he was afraid? Why did Sarah say that everyone who heard about her having a son in her old age would laugh with her?  What has God done in your life that is cause for laughter? Why would God tell Abraham to sacrifice his son?  What has been the hardest thing you needed to do to obey God? Abraham was insistent that his son, Isaac, not marry a Canaanite from where they were living.  But he was just as insistent that Isaac not be taken back to where they used to live.  Why did he want a daughter-in-law from among his own people, but not want his son to live or even go there? Why was Esau willing to give up his birthright for some stew?  What examples can you think of where someone has given up a great deal for short-term satisfaction? Why did Rebekah and Jacob think of Isaac’s blessing as something that could be taken by deception? In chapter 28, God made promises to Jacob that essentially repeated promises He made to Abraham.  Why did God need to renew or repeat these promises He had already made to Jacob’s grandfather? Look at Jacob’s prayer in Genesis 32:9-12.  He was fearful of his brother Esau, but what was in his prayer that helped move him from fear to peace?

Psalms 6-8

In Psalms we find high praise, such as “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (8:1) and desperate complaint, such as, “My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?”  Why are these extremes both included in the Psalms? How would you answer the question in Psalm 8:4, “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

New Testament, John 5-7

Why did Jesus ask the man at the pool if he wanted to get well?  Shouldn’t that have been obvious? In chapter 5, the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because they said he was making Himself equal with God.  Was He? In John 6:26 Jesus told people they were following him for the wrong reason.  What motivates you to follow Jesus? In John 6:47 Jesus states very simply, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”  Have you received this free gift of eternal life? What are the streams of living water Jesus spoke of in chapter 7?  What do you need to do to have springs of living water?

January 6-12, 2013

January 6 – 12, 2013

Old Testament, Genesis 1-19

Genesis clearly teaches that God spoke things into existence.  He created the heavens and the earth.  You may meet people who don’t believe in a Creator, or at least they may say they don’t.  Why do you believe in a Creator? How does believing that you are created change the way you live? Where does the idea of marriage come from?  What do you learn from Genesis, chapter 2, about what God had in mind when He made us male and female? What caused Adam and Eve to hide from God?  What makes you want to draw near or turn away from God? The first murder recorded in the Bible is Cain killing Abel.  What was his motive?  What should he have done instead?  Are there times that you are angry with another person when the real issue is that you need to obey God? Genesis 6:6 says, “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”  How is it possible that our behavior can cause God pain? Abraham did some unusual things in obedience to God.  How willing are you to obey God, even if He tells you to do something others might think was unwise? In Genesis 15:1, God spoke a simple message of encouragement to Abram, ““Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”  How would this message change your life if you took it to heart? Why did God change Abraham and Sarah’s names? Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? If you could be Lot, what choices would you want to make that would be wiser than the ones he made?

Psalms 1-5

What does it mean to take refuge in the Lord? (Psalm 2:12, and 5:11) Are you able to lie down and sleep in peace?  (Psalm 4:8)  Why or why not?

New Testament, John 1-4

Who or what is “the Word”?  How do you know? John 1:12 says that has given the right to become children of God to those who have received Jesus.  Have you received Jesus?  When and how? What does it mean to be born again? What does chapter 3 say will happen to those who don’t believe in Jesus? According to Jesus in 4:10, what were the only two things in the way of the Samaritan woman having living water? In 4:35, Jesus tells us to open our eyes.  What does this mean and how do you do it?

Read Through the Bible in 2013

Here is a schedule that will get you through the Bible in a year.  The schedule is based on reading some from the New Testament, Old Testament, and Psalms each week.

Week Beginning	Old Testament	Psalms	New Testament
1/6/2013	Genesis 1-19	Psalm 1-5	John 1-4
1/13/2013	Genesis 20-33	Psalm 6-8	John 5-7
1/20/2013	Genesis 34-50	Psalm 9-11	John 8-10
1/27/2013	Exodus 1-20	Psalm 12-16	John 11-15
2/3/2013	Exodus 21-40	Psalm 17-18	John 16-19
2/10/2013	Leviticus 1-14	Psalm 19-20	John 20-21
2/17/2013	Leviticus 15-27	Psalm 21-23	Acts 1-5
2/24/2013	Numbers 1-18	Psalm 24-26	Acts 6-10
3/3/2013	Numbers 19-36	Psalm 27-30	Acts 11-15
3/10/2013	Deuteronomy 1-17	Psalm 31-32	Acts 16-19
3/17/2013	Deuteronomy 18-34	Psalm 33-35	Acts 20-24
3/24/2013	Joshua 1-12	Psalm 36-37	Acts 25-28
3/31/2013	Joshua 13-24	Psalm 38-39	Matthew 1-5
4/7/2013	Judges 1-21	Psalm 40-41	Matthew 6-10
4/14/2013	Ruth, 1 Samuel 1-10	Psalm 42-44	Matthew 11-14
4/21/2013	1 Samuel 11-31	Psalm 45-47	Matthew 15-18
4/28/2013	2 Samuel 1-12	Psalm 48-50	Matthew 19-22
5/5/2013	2 Samuel 13-24	Psalm 51-54	Matthew 23-26
5/12/2013	1 Kings 1-11	Psalm 55-57	Matthew 27-28
5/19/2013	1 Kings 12-22	Psalm 58-60	Romans 1-5
5/26/2013	2 Kings 1-12	Psalm 61-63	Romans 6-11
6/2/2013	2 Kings 13-25	Psalm 64-67	Romans 12-16
6/9/2013	1 Chronicles 1-14	Psalm 68-69	1 Corinthians 1-6
6/16/2013	1 Chronicles 15-29	Psalm 70-71	1 Corinthians 7-12
6/23/2013	2 Chronicles 1-17	Psalm 72-73	1 Corinthians 13-16
6/30/2013	2 Chronicles 18-36	Psalm 74-76	2 Corinthians 1-6
7/7/2013	Ezra 1-10	Psalm 77-78	2 Corinthians 7-13
7/14/2013	Nehemiah 1-13	Psalm 79-81	Mark 1-5
7/21/2013	Esther 1-10	Psalm 82-85	Mark 6-9
7/28/2013	Job 1-21	Psalm 86-88	Mark 10-12
8/4/2013	Job 22-42	Psalm 89	Mark 13-16
8/11/2013	Proverbs 1-10	Psalm 90-91	Galatians 1-6
8/18/2013	Proverbs 11-20	Psalm 92-94	Ephesians 1-6
8/25/2013	Proverbs 21-31	Psalm 95-97	Philippians 1-4, Colossians 1-4
9/1/2013	Ecclesiastes 1-12	Psalm 98-101	1 Thessalonians 1-5, 2 Thess. 1-3
9/8/2013	Song of Songs 1-8	Psalm 102-104	1 Timothy 1-6
9/15/2013	Isaiah 1-16	Psalm 105	2 Timothy 1-4, Titus 1-3, Philemon
9/22/2013	Isaiah 17-33	Psalm 106	Luke 1-3
9/29/2013	Isaiah 34-49	Psalm 107	Luke 4-6
10/6/2013	Isaiah 50-66	Psalm 108-110	Luke 7-9
10/13/2013	Jeremiah 1-14	Psalm 111-115	Luke 10-12
10/20/2013	Jeremiah 15-28	Psalm 116-118	Luke 13-17
10/27/2013	Jeremiah 29-43	Psalm 119	Luke 18-20
11/3/2013	Jeremiah 44-52, Lamentations 1-5	Psalm 120-123	Luke 21-24
11/10/2013	Ezekiel 1-16	Psalm 124-127	Hebrews 1-7
11/17/2013	Ezekiel 17-32	Psalm 128-131	Hebrews 8-13
11/24/2013	Ezekiel 33-48	Psalm 132-134	James 1-5
12/1/2013	Daniel 1-12	Psalm 135-137	1 Peter 1-5, 2 Peter 1-3
12/8/2013	Hosea 1-14, Joel 1-3, Amos 1-9	Psalm 138-140	1 John 1-5, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
12/15/2013	Obadiah, Jonah 1-4, Micah 1-7, Nahum 1-3	Psalm 141-144	Revelation 1-7
12/22/2013	Habbakkuk 1-3, Zephaniah 1-3, Haggai 1-2	Psalm 145-146	Revelation 8-14
12/29/2013	Zechariah 1-14, Malachi 1-4	Psalm 147-150	Revelation 15-22