In [Part I] we mentioned the narrative approach to reading the Bible, choosing 14 books of the bible that follow God’s plan in a chronological manner that is easier to follow than trying to read all the books of the Bible in literal order, from cover to cover.
In Part I, we covered these 7 books
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Numbers
- Joshua
- Judges
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
In Part II we will cover these 7 books.
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- 2 Maccabees
- 1 Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
We’ll pick Matthew as he starts with the Old Testament genealogy - Acts
We suggest you write these 14 books on a piece of paper with our web page www.HolyWord.com/how-to-read-through-the-bible Then you can read through these books on your own and use this as a reference if you encounter difficulties, get stuck, or need some tips to keep going.
Let’s continue at a critical juncture. The Lord’s Covenant promise with the Israelites has continued despite all the ways the people sin (like us). They are tempted by outside beliefs and despite warnings from Moses and Samuel, they want a king like all the other countries.
King Saul was a failure, always mistrusting the Lord, and taking matters into his own hands, he ended up being possessed by an evil spirit and was replaced by King David after he died.
David started out with much promise, always showing kindness to King Saul despite the evil he received in return. As King, David falls into temptation with Bathsheba and has her husband Uriah killed. As King, David struggles with internal family problems as his sons turn to sin and have eyes on the throne. Despite these problems, David’s saving grace is his ability to repent and his continued kindness.
1 Kings
Tip: The 1st Books of Kings deals with a couple of critical events that affect Israel and Judah for the next 1,000 years. The establishment of the Temple and the Divided Kingdom.
David’s final days
As David grew weaker, another son, Adonijah, tried to assume power. David could not withstand another conflict with one of his sons and did nothing to stop Adonijah’s from exalting himself and saying ‘I will be king’. Joab, David’s military commander, sided with Adonijah.
Nathan intercedes
Seeing Adonijah’s threat increase, the prophet Nathan counsels Bathsheba to ask David to anoint Solomon king. Bathsheba reminds David that he made a promise to Solomon and it will be too late if David does not act. David listens to Bathsheeba and Nathan, appointing the priest Zadok to anoint Solomon king.
David tells Solomon to walk in the ways of the Lord and warns him of the treachery of Joab and other enemies.
King Solomon
After David dies, and Solomon is King, Adonijah asks Bathsheeba and Solomon to give him Abishag as his wife. Abishag was the young woman who tended to David in his old age. If Adonijah could gain an ally from within David’s house, he could make an attempt to usurp the throne from Solomon.
However, Solomon was wise to the plan and sent Benaiah, his military commander to strike Adonijah down before his attempt could be made. Soon thereafter Joab was also killed for his ongoing treachery and Solomon’s power was quickly consolidated.
Wisdom
King Solomon, like David, has the potential to be a great king. He starts out well asking the Lord for wisdom to govern the people well. The Lord grants his wish, but also warns Solomon to be vigilant, stay faithful, and he will be blessed. There are many stories and books attributed to Solomon’s wisdom.
The Temple
Solomon builds the 1st Temple in Jerusalem. Despite the Lord saying He did not need a house to dwell in, the Temple would stand as the center of the Jewish religion for the next 1,000 years. It took Solomon 7 years to build the Temple and 13 years to build his palaces.
Tip: The building plans and details of the Temple may not be the most enjoyable to read for everyone, but consider the benefit that they re helpful in reconstructing an image for us. If you feel bogged down in the details of chapters 5-7, chapter 8 completes the Temple.
- It is important to get some image of the Temple for the next 1,000 years of Jewish events.
Sin
Despite his strong wisdom, Solomon’s will was weak. He began to marry the wives of foreign countries and started to worship their false gods with him. With 300 wives and 700 concubines, he became corrupted by sin and false worship.
The King’s warnings fulfilled
By the time Solomon had finished his reign, all the warnings of a King through Moses and Samuel had come true. Solomon ended up oppressing the people with hard labor, taking their livestock, and heavily taxing the people.
Rehoboam
Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, the next rightful king and continuing God’s promised line of Judah, decided he would be tougher on the people, but they rebelled and broke away from Judah, following Jeroboam.
- Saul – mostly corrupt
- David – some corruption, mostly good
- Solomon – good then corrupt
CRITICAL POINT
The DIVIDED KINGDOM here is a critical point. Despite the sin of the kings; David, Solomon, and Rehoboam, the Lord’s promise continues. This is difficult to understand, but the Lord’s promise is good everlasting and will continue. The Messiah will come from the line of David, not from Jeroboam, in the line of Ephraim.
- At this point, the Tribe of Judah and remnants of Benjamin will be called Judah (in the south) and referred to as Jews.
- The other 10 tribes (in the north) are hereafter called Israel.
Jeroboam
For those who forgot the ongoing Covenant with the Lord and sided with Jeroboam, it was like jumping off a cliff. One of Jeroboam’s first acts was to set up large altars in the north and south of Israel to worship the Golden Calf.
Golden Calf worship is horrible! We already saw the devastating effects back in Exodus. Jeroboam did this to maintain his own power so that the people of Israel would not return to the Temple in Jerusalem and be reconciled with their brothers.
The Kings of Israel
Among the northern tribes of Israel, none of them were good. Each one was worse than the previous one.
- Jeroboam – bad
- Nadab – bad
- Baasha – bad
- Elah – bad
- Zimri – bad
- Omri – bad
- Ahab – bad
- Ahaziah – bad
- Jehoram – bad
- Jehu – mixed
- Jehoahaz – bad
- Jehoash – bad
- Jeroboam II – bad
- Zechariah – bad
- Shallum – bad
- Menahem – bad
- Pekahiah – bad
- Pekah – bad
- Hoshea – bad
The Kings of Judah
Among the Kings of Judah, many are not good, but a few are good. The Lord keeps His Covenant.
- Rehoboam – bad
- Abijah – bad
- Asa -good
- Jehoshaphat – good
- Jehoram – bad
- Ahaziah – bad
- Athaliah – bad
- Jehoash – good then bad
- Amaziah – good then bad
- Uzziah/Azariah – good
- Jotham – good
- Ahaz – bad
- Hezekiah – good
- Manasseh – bad then repented
- Amon – bad
- Josiah – good
- Jehoahaz – bad
- Jehoiakim – bad
- Jeconiah/Jehoiachin – bad
- Zedekiah – bad
Tip: Reading through all the kings can be difficult and dry at times. Try to keep in mind this record of the kings is very helpful for historical purposes and helping to date the Old Testament back to David.
Tip: If you get to the point of getting stuck, the short kings are only mentioned briefly for history, while the story becomes more interesting again with Elijah and King Ahab of Israel.
Elijah
Is the midst of great sin, the Lord always sends someone to bring hope. In this case, Elijah the prophet. Elijah prophesies a drought in the land. He performs miracles in reviving a widow’s son and multiplying bread, reminding us of later miracles of Jesus.
Elijah vs Ahab and Jezebel
Elijah is sent to stand up against the evil priesthood of Ahab and prevails by trusting in the Lord, but then escapes thinking his life is over. He eventually finds the quiet peace of God and continues his vocation.
As the book ends, Elijah chooses a disciple to continue after he called Elisha.
Evil King Ahab gets into a war with Syria in the north-east, weakening Israel. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, comes to help Israel, but their cooperation is short-lived as Ahab is treacherous to the end and is killed by the Syrians.
Jehoshaphat returns to rule Judah. He is mostly good but does not remove all the false high places of worship.
The kings of Israel, however, become worse, worshiping Baal.
2 Kings
2 Kings continues the story of the kings of Judah in the south and the kings of Israel (the 10 tribes in the north).
Elijah prophesies the death of the king of Israel, Ahaziah, and calls upon fire from heaven to destroy Ahaziah’s men until they plead mercy.
The end of Elijah’s earthly life
While Elijah was with Elisha, he parted the waters of the Jordan river and gave Elisha a final request, to inherit a double portion of his spirit. Elijah was then brought up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
Elisha
Elisha’s ministry begins by him parting the waters of the Jordan River the same as Elijah. Elisha also purifies foul water, multiplies expensive oil for a widow, prophesies a son for a barren woman, brings the same child back to life, feeds 100 men, and cures Naaman of leprosy.
In the midst of Elisha’s miracles, battles between Israel and various countries of the east continued, weakening Israel further.
Jezebel’s death
In 2 Kings, justice is finally served to Jezebel, Ahab’s queen according to the words of Elijah.
Death of Elisha
At the death of Elisha, a dead man was accidentally knocked into Elisha’s grave by a band of marauders and was revived to life.
Tip: The 2nd book of Kings can be more difficult to read with all the kings changing and no one person to hold your thoughts. The key point is that Israel worshiped false gods and lost track of God’s covenant in the promised line of David. After breaking away, they never had a good king and increasingly engaged in conflicts until Assyria came to power.
Assyria
Assyria overpowered Israel and exiled them. They became known as the 10 lost tribes of Israel, never to return. Samaritans from Israel’s Capital city Samaria were dreaded by Jews down to Jesus’ day.
- For Jesus to choose a Samaritan as the hero of a story would have been difficult for the Jewish people to like.
Isaiah
During the reign of Hezekiah in 2 Kings we get a couple of glimpses of Isaiah. We won’t suggest reading all of Isaiah right now, but to remember that the book of Isaiah can be read later in the context of the time period of the Kings. Isaiah warns the people to follow the Lord or there will be consequences if they follow in the footsteps of Israel.
Hezekiah
Perhaps the opposite of Solomon. He did right in the Lord’s eyes. He took down all the high places of false worship and followed the Lord. But he was not that wise. When envoys from Babylon came, he showed them all his riches, wealth and abundance. Isaiah, when finding this out, prophesied that the Babylonians would come back one day to take it all.
Exile Into Babylon
As Isaiah warned, the Babylonians came and took over Judah (c. 597-582 B.C). The Jews spent 70 years in Exile.
We aren’t reading 1 and 2 Chronicles at this point because much of it will seem to be a repetition of events. Although if you want another writer’s viewpoint this can be interesting to read at a later time.
Ezra
The Return
After 70 years, the Babylonians are taken over by the Persians. King Cyrus of Persia allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem. This historical event is corroborated by Persian historical artifacts such as the Cyrus Cylinder.
The people of Judah, Benjamin, and the priests were allowed to return to Jerusalem. King Cyrus of Persia even gave them whatever remained of the Temple treasures.
After the rebuilding of the Temple, the ones who had seen the original Temple of Solomon, cried as it did not compare in beauty.
Note: The priests who were not able to prove their priestly ancestry were not allowed to return as priests. The Jews were well aware of impostors and false teachers who could easily try to infiltrate this way and wisely prevented it.
Zerubabel
Was the returning Governor of Judah, grandson of Jehoiachin, in the line of David.
Adversaries
The adversaries of the returning Jews tried to spy on them by infiltrating under the guise of helping with the Temple but were refused. They caused ongoing problems during the rebuilding by sending complaints to the king of Persia. But their complaints eventually failed when the kings of Persia wrote new decrees forcing the adversaries to contribute to the Temple.
2nd Temple Completed
The 2nd Temple was completed and Passover was celebrated.
Ezra
Ezra, from the line of Aaron, returned. He was a priest, a scribe skilled in the laws of Moses. As he returned he was given reports of some returning to the evil ways of their past, taking on foreign women and the abominations of their false worship.
Ezra seriously repented until the people saw him and followed, returning to the laws of Moses. Their faith was not yet ready to withstand outside people and temptations.
- Ezra is a great example of how 1 generation of people can quickly change from being ignorant to faithfully following the Lord
Nehemiah
The book of Nehemiah opens with Nehemiah, a Jewish servant of the king of Persia, a man with a repentant heart. His prayer a reminder for those who ignore the precepts of the Lord, they will eventually be scattered. However, for those who return to the Lord can be re-gathered from the furthest skies. It is another hint of the Messiah who will reach out to the ends of the earth.
Nehemiah’s return
Nehemiah is saddened by reports of the degradation of Jerusalem and is granted return to Jerusalem by the King of Persia. Wise about adversaries, he does an inspection of Jerusalem at night.
Rebuilding Jerusalem
The rebuilding of Jerusalem was divided up into sections but as a unified effort. The gates were repaired and the gaps in the walls enclosed. Their adversaries took notice and plotted to attack them.
A wise defense
But Nehemiah also planned a wise defense; half of the people worked on the wall while the other half were ready to defend it when needed. Even the builders carried a sword at their side. The walls covered an extensive area, so when the horn was sounded, the people would rush to help defend that area.
A wise official
Nehemiah also proved wise in his treatment of the people who were being taxed and yoked too strongly by the local officials, losing most of their land and possessions. He told the officials to give the land back to the people and they did. He became the governor of Judah and did not tax like the officials before him. And he kept working on the wall.
At this point, it seems like the story overlaps with Ezra. Ezra and Nehemiah were written as back to back complimentary books with Nehemiah adding additional details, as Jerusalem is rebuilding.
- Tip. Where there are long lists of names of people returning to Jerusalem, read some, but if you feel like giving up, skim those to get back to the events that continue the narrative. The names are helpful proof that these were well documented real events.
While there were adversaries threatening, the work continued until it was finished in 52 days.
Ezra
Nehemiah gives more details about Ezra, how he read the law of Moses for hours on end to the people, even with a wooden pulpit. It seems the people who listened were at first dismayed by all the rules and laws they had failed to keep, but Ezra and the Levites encouraged the people to celebrate, for the day was holy, and the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Re-discovering their roots
The people, with Ezra helping, kept reading out of the book of Moses, rediscovering their roots, and re-creating the festivals of the past that had been forgotten, along with confession of their sins, and worship.
At the end of the book, Ezra makes a great prayer and the people are re-dedicated to the Covenant with the Lord. The people make their homes in and around Jerusalem with the dedication of the completed wall and the Sabbath.
At this point The Jews were still set apart from others as their faith was not strong enough to resist outside temptation.
1 Maccabees
In your Bible, you will now jump ahead to 1 Maccabees. If you don’t have 1 Maccabees in your Bible, you may consider getting a 2nd Bible or using an online resource during this part. Maccabees adds some important historical details about the Greek occupation period.
Tip: Many of the wisdom books can be read later for prayer and reflection but are not adding to the narrative timeline that we are following right now.
The Greeks
Alexander the Great of the Greeks defeated the Persians in 331 B.C. This had direct consequences on the Jews as the Persians had been mostly lenient on the Jews. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Persians were even supportive of their efforts to rebuild the Temple.
The Greeks, on the other hand, had their own gods, opposing God.
Antiochus Epiphanes
Antiochus Epiphanes was one of the split Greek kings after Alexander the Great, taking over the southern Mediterranean regions, including Egypt and Israel. He demanded the Jews worship the Greek gods and took all the treasures of the Temple.
Greek forces came back in 2 years to demand tribute, killing many, and forcing them to give up their religious practices to God, under penalty of death. They set up false Greek worship inside the Temple. The books of the Jewish law were forbidden under penalty of death.
Mattathias and his sons
Mattathias had 5 sons, one Judas called Maccabees. When the Greeks came to Modein, their city, to enforce the Greek worship, Mattathias was forced to choose between being a friend of the Greek king and rejecting God or being put to death. When Mattathias refused and another Jew came forward to comply, Mattathias stopped it and started a rebellion.
The Jewish Rebellion
The rebellion started small, with Mattathias and his friends tearing down false altars and following the laws of circumcision. When Mattathias died he gave a final speech to remind people of the deeds of their ancestors, Abraham, Joseph, Phinehas, Joshua, Caleb, David, Elijah, and Daniel because of his innocence. The army was placed in the hands of his son Judas Maccabees.
The Temple cleansed
Under Judas Maccabees, the Jews recaptured the Temple and cleansed it from all the profane things. They rebuilt the altar and made new holy vessels. They re-lit the lampstands and re-dedicated the Temple over a period of eight days to be repeated each year.
- Jews today remember this re-dedication of the Temple as Hanukkah.
- Christians don’t need to do this because Jesus is the living Temple.
Judas Maccabees
Judas Maccabees was like a lion, destroying the ungodly out of the land. He defeated the Gentile and Syrian forces. The Greek king Antiochus was angered and sent his forces to defeat the uprising. The first wave by Lysias was routed by the Jews under Maccabees. The Gentiles and Greeks planned many battles but were not successful in defeating Maccabees.
A new Ally: Rome
Judas Maccabees heard of a new kingdom growing in the west, at Rome, who was lenient towards their allies, and incredibly powerful, defeating any who opposed them. Judas signed a treaty with these new Romans to help stave off the Greeks.
Judas Maccabees Dies in Battle
Judas eventually ran into one battle too many and died, with his brother Jonathan taking over after him. Under Jonathan, the war ended.
King Alexander Epiphanes
The son of Antiochus Epiphanes, Alexander sought an alliance with Jonathan against his adversary King Demetrius. Alexander appoints Jonathan high priest. Demetrius sends a similar offer to Jonathan but is refused.
Note: This is a dangerous development. Kings of other nations bargaining for and appointing Jewish priests. This practice continued down to the time of Jesus so that it was hard to tell who was appointed from God or by the authorities in power.
Maccabees ends with many battles between the Greek leaders with deception and treachery. Eventually, the sons of Mattathias are all killed out of sacrifice to keep Israel intact.
Tip: The Jews have learned something. This time they did not bow to false gods but held true to the Lord. The Lord has always been faithful and His Covenant continues.
Between Maccabees and Jesus
The Greek kingdoms are diminishing as they fight each other. Rome is on the rise. Rome was initially an ally of the Jews, but as so many others do once they become the premier power in the land, things change. Smaller territories like Israel would have to pay increased tribute and be under increased burdens, so that the Jews eventually grew to despise the burden under the Romans, hoping for a savior.
2nd Maccabees overlaps 1 Maccabees in adding more of a spiritual angle on the events. We are not reading it now, but you can come back to read later knowing where it fits.
The Gospels (Matthew)
Note: You could pick any of 1 of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) at this point. Mark is the shortest and the simplest, but we are choosing Matthew here because his Gospel was written as a continuation from the Old Testament Jews.
Genealogy
The opening genealogy of names is critical as Matthew needs to prove to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah, coming from the line of David, which he does.
The Gospels telling us about Jesus could by themselves fill many articles and never end. Here I will only give a very simple summary.
Jesus’ childhood
God comes to us in the form of a child. Perhaps if God had come in all His glory at once, that would have been the end there. Instead, he chooses to give us all more time to learn so that we can choose him by free choice.
Jesus’ Apostles
Jesus didn’t just preach to everyone equally and say be a democracy when I am gone to pick and choose whatever teachings we wanted depending on our opinion or point of view. He chose Apostles and trained them for 3 years to lead the Church when He was gone.
Jesus’ Teachings
Jesus’s teachings are many but can be simplified to loving our neighbor as ourselves and as God loves us. Jesus’ teachings are true, not to be put aside by the ever-changing winds of modern culture.
Jesus’ Miracles
Jesus was not only a good prophet as a man. He performed more than 35 miracles including raising Lazarus from the dead and He Himself at the Resurrection, showing us He is also God.
Jesus’ Sacrifice
In the Old Testament, Sacrifices and the Passover are repeated over and over as a way for people to trust in God and turn away from sin. Jesus becomes the lamb of God, THE one Sacrifice, for all, so that sins may be forgiven. Jesus asks the Apostles to continue Communion at the Last Supper.
Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
Jesus was truly crucified and truly Resurrected as seen by more than 500 witnesses and written testimony. If you would like to read more on these, we have specific articles on the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
By Jesus’ Resurrection, He conquered sin and death. If we choose Him, we can also be saved from sin and death. We need to be trusting of Him and He will show us the way.
Acts
At the end of the Gospels, Jesus sends the Apostles out. We need to be familiar with Acts of the Apostles to see how the Church continued when Jesus was gone.
Power to Heal, Bind and Forgive
At various points in Jesus’ ministry He gives Peter and the Apostles clear authority; to heal, to bind, and to forgive. He does not give this to everyone. In Acts we actually see Peter taking on the lead role on multiple occasions. He is not perfect, but his Faith has grown since he betrayed Jesus 3 times and Jesus asks him to tend his sheep.
Other leaders
Some say that when the Apostles died, that was the end of the Church Leaders, but that is not what Acts of the Apostles says. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas. Deacons were chosen to help the expanding Church. Barnabas and Paul were added as Apostles to the Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas appointed leaders in each town, some as Bishops with the authority to appoint others, some as priests to serve the people. This was consistent with succession in the Old Testament, except Jesus provided a way for God’s people to spread anywhere, not just as Jews.
Paul’s Vision
Paul had a direct vision of Jesus and he spent 3 years in the desert to be prepared, just as the Apostles had 3 years with Jesus. Paul did not start his own church but was unified with the One Church, together with the Apostles and the priests.
Tough Decisions
We tend to think things are tough today. In the first decades of the Church, there was a serious issue between the Jewish Christians who did not want any changes and the Gentile Christians who had no idea about Jewish law. Peter, James, Paul, and the priests, discussed the issue, in light of the acts of the Holy Spirit toward the Gentiles, they determined the direction the Church would go, welcoming the Gentiles without all the Jewish laws, avoiding an early split.
The Holy Spirit
Church leaders are not alone. They were promised the Holy Spirit by Jesus and the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. In many cases in Acts, the Holy Spirit is the one taking the initiative to help the Church in addressing difficult situations and tough decisions.
Outreach
Peter and all the other Apostles, the Deacons, Barnabas & Paul, and others went out to the world. That is what Jesus asked them to do and Acts of the Apostles shows them doing it.
This was before they had most of the Bible. The New Testament was not formed yet. They taught, they led, and the Church grew.
The Church was real and continues today as Jesus promised the gates of the netherworld will never prevail against His Church.
Conclusion
Once you complete the 14 books of the narrative approach of the Bible, you may realize there is so much more to learn and pray about. That is certainly true and you can go on to take other Bible studies or Faith-based programs.
Hopefully, this approach inspires you to learn more about the Lord. The Bible is not just ‘those people in the past’, but the lessons learned, and Jesus’sacrifice is for our lives today as well.
Let’s learn from what we read in the Bible, to always trust in the Lord, repent if we have sinned, return back to Him, and keep Him close so that when we reach our last day, it will be an easy step into heaven!
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