The Entire Bible and Old Testament

dqhall

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Who here has read the entire Bible, and by entire I mean including Leviticus’ constant talk about slaughtering animals, blood. talk in either Exodus or Leviticus about making tabernacles and priestly clothing etc.?
Or do you skim or skip those parts?
i‘m trying to read the entire Bible and the OT books I’ve read so far are just so boring, violent and gross.
I’ve already read the entire NT with the exception of Revelation, which two pastors advised me not to read due to the difficult times I’ve had, worrying about the end of the world.

So how do you ger through the entire OT?
I read the Bible through when I was younger. I did not understand much of it. The place names were unfamiliar, the historical context not at hand. I remembered some of what I read. Later I looked at Exodus for a long time, including the geographical context. I toured the Sinai by cab for two days from the Israeli border at Eilat in 1999. I did not have much money back then. This was before Al Qaeada blew up a hotel in Taba. I wanted to know if there was any truth to the story of Exodus. Some theorized Mt Sinai was a volcano, a mountain with fire on the top. There are volcanoes in NW Arabia (Midian). A volcano in Medina erupted in 1256 AD. Khaibar is another volcanic area. I was not able to prove Exodus really happened. It is likely some people escaped from Egypt from time to time, making their way to what was then called Canaan. The ancient Egyptian story of Sinuhe was about a man who fled the authorities crossing the desert to Canaan with the help of a group of Bedouin who found him near death in the desert. He married, raised a family, then set out to return to Egypt and tell his story.
 
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Thera

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No those are the parts im most interested in the "weirder" traditions I find most interesting. Its just so different and intriguing. Not to be rude to Jewish tradition but its definitely different.
I agree it's interesting, but in some ways we have adopted many of those Jewish traditions for the health benefits they give. You mention circumcision - it's routinely performed now at birth due to the health and hygiene benefits. Washing our hands - pretty much second nature to most of us. Dangers of mold, especially in the house - it's already in the bible. You want a successful strategy to dealing with "corona virus" or any other contagious illness, without the government insanity we've witnessed for the past two years? God had it already in the bible in relation to quarantine, washing, getting checked when healed etc.

Shabbat 133a:20:

MISHNA: When the eighth day of a baby’s life occurs on Shabbat, he must be circumcised on that day. Therefore, one performs all the necessities of the circumcision, even on Shabbat: One circumcises the foreskin, and uncovers the skin by removing the thin membrane beneath the foreskin, and sucks the blood from the wound, and places on it both a bandage [ispelanit] and cumin as a salve.
I really disagree with this practice after circumcision, and believe it borders on child abuse, as it is a tradition of men rather than biblical. Circumcision is mentioned numerous times in the bible, but sucking the wound is never mentioned once. Indeed, Zipporah's circumcision is described in detail, where she casts the useless skin away with disdain, as if it were indeed the sinful nature Colossians 2:11 explains the foreskin represents.
 
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tampasteve

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Who here has read the entire Bible, and by entire I mean including Leviticus’ constant talk about slaughtering animals, blood. talk in either Exodus or Leviticus about making tabernacles and priestly clothing etc.?
Or do you skim or skip those parts?
i‘m trying to read the entire Bible and the OT books I’ve read so far are just so boring, violent and gross.
I’ve already read the entire NT with the exception of Revelation, which two pastors advised me not to read due to the difficult times I’ve had, worrying about the end of the world.

So how do you ger through the entire OT?
I have read the entire Bible a couple of times, but not going cover to cover. I tend to follow the Revised Standard Lectionary as well as adding my own readings. I actually find the old stories to be fascinating, they give a glimpse into times past, and are very important to understanding the culture and people that the Messiah came from and is a part of.

That said, if you are not interested in history, I can see why a good swath of the OT would not be interesting. It helps me to also read about the actual time period that each book is taking place, the Bible is not arranged chronologically.

There are books I don't read often, then some I read more frequently or on special dates. For example, I always read Lamentations on Tisha B'av and Esther on Purim, as is Jewish tradition.
 
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jesuslover811

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I agree it's interesting, but in some ways we have adopted many of those Jewish traditions for the health benefits they give. You mention circumcision - it's routinely performed now at birth due to the health and hygiene benefits. Washing our hands - pretty much second nature to most of us. Dangers of mold, especially in the house - it's already in the bible. You want a successful strategy to dealing with "corona virus" or any other contagious illness, without the government insanity we've witnessed for the past two years? God had it already in the bible in relation to quarantine, washing, getting checked when healed etc.

I really disagree with this practice after circumcision, and believe it borders on child abuse, as it is a tradition of men rather than biblical. Circumcision is mentioned numerous times in the bible, but sucking the wound is never mentioned once. Indeed, Zipporah's circumcision is described in detail, where she casts the useless skin away with disdain, as if it were indeed the sinful nature Colossians 2:11 explains the foreskin represents.
I disagree with It too I just did not want to be the first person I have seen here speak against it and be banned for antisemitism
 
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GirdYourLoins

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it takes 70 hours and 40 minutes to read the bible ... a picture of the process revealing the masculine Leviticus 12:1-5
If you just sit and read it like a normal book, yes. I tend to read and meditate on it and do studies when Im reading through, hence taking longer.
 
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If you just sit and read it like a normal book, yes. I tend to read and meditate on it and do studies when Im reading through, hence taking longer.

i have never read it ... i tried once when i first got one and after i got a fingers thickness into it i realized i had no idea what i just read, so i then started to study it by word ...
 
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Thera

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I disagree with It too I just did not want to be the first person I have seen here speak against it and be banned for antisemitism
Okay. It never occurred to me that someone might see that as anti-Semitic. While I can see how some might see opposition to circumcision as anti-Semitic, I think the aspect you described has nothing to do with biblical circumcision, and is more of the old traditions of men creeping in. Another of the benefits of learning from the bible, rather than trusting those who say they know it all (but don't).
 
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klutedavid

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Who here has read the entire Bible, and by entire I mean including Leviticus’ constant talk about slaughtering animals, blood. talk in either Exodus or Leviticus about making tabernacles and priestly clothing etc.?
Or do you skim or skip those parts?
i‘m trying to read the entire Bible and the OT books I’ve read so far are just so boring, violent and gross.
I’ve already read the entire NT with the exception of Revelation, which two pastors advised me not to read due to the difficult times I’ve had, worrying about the end of the world.

So how do you ger through the entire OT?
I was never able to read the book of Numbers.

If you apply yourself, you could read the entire Old Testament.

I had a minister once that always read the Bible from start to finish.

If you want to know everything about Jesus, then the New Testament letters should be read often.

I was not a Christian when I started reading the New Testament, but after a year of reading. I became a Christian with some prompting from the Holy Spirit, of course. The best decision I have ever made. What an honor it is, to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
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klutedavid

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Yeah, I don’t think it’s uncommon to feel overwhelmed or put off by some of the books of the Bible when reading for yourself the first time. But what may feel like a confusing mess is actually very important, rich, and consistent, and it all culminates in Christ.

My recommendation would be to slow down if we’re feeling overwhelmed or confused. For example, if we read a text and don’t understand the meaning of it and only see it as random, violent, or offensive, we can be sure we’re not understanding it as we should.

It can be helpful to study the outlines and the context of the books before leaping into them, so we have some kind of framework for what’s going on. So, for example, the Lutheran Study Bible with notes is very helpful for this. It also points out Law and Gospel, and shows us how everything points to Christ.

Reading the Bible is in a way a chicken-egg situation. That is: The NT must be understood in light of the OT, and the OT must be understood in light of the NT. Now, God’s Word is able to communicate truth to us regardless of where we pick it up, so there’s really no wrong place to read. However, to help make sense of things, maybe I can suggest reading the Bible with commentary in this order:

1. Luke — This is perhaps the most orderly Gospel account. It’s maybe the easiest Gospel to understand for us gentiles. This is to say, we don’t have to be experts in the OT to understand it.

2. Acts — You can think of Acts as the sequel to Luke. These two books go together and they give us the Gospel and the history of the New Testament Church.

3. Romans — This is another text that is written with us gentiles in mind, and here Paul very clearly lays out for us God’s Law and Gospel, and that we are justified by faith apart from works. In other words, Paul explains everything a Christian needs to know regarding our salvation in some detail.

4. John — Here we get a deeper look into who Christ is, namely God in flesh. And this is perhaps a good leaping point into the OT.

5. Genesis — It can be helpful to think of Genesis as the prologue to the entire Bible, but specifically also the prologue to Exodus.

6. Exodus — Exodus sets the scene for the whole Bible. I think if we understand Genesis and Exodus — namely, the promise and the foreshadowing of a Saviour — the rest of the Bible begins to make more sense.

In short, maybe start with just a few NT books and go through them slowly. They reference many OT books, so you’ll be able to learn OT passages and themes just by studying the NT books. Basically, the OT promises Christ and the NT gives us Christ. So, with this in mind it can be easier for us to understand the Bible if we read the NT first and then the OT.

God bless!
A good post.

I agree with starting with the Gospel of Luke.

Then Paul's letters which are aimed at a Gentile audience.

Though, I would leave Romans to a later time, as it's one tough letter to understand.
 
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ViaCrucis

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Who here has read the entire Bible, and by entire I mean including Leviticus’ constant talk about slaughtering animals, blood. talk in either Exodus or Leviticus about making tabernacles and priestly clothing etc.?
Or do you skim or skip those parts?
i‘m trying to read the entire Bible and the OT books I’ve read so far are just so boring, violent and gross.
I’ve already read the entire NT with the exception of Revelation, which two pastors advised me not to read due to the difficult times I’ve had, worrying about the end of the world.

So how do you ger through the entire OT?

While there is certainly benefit to reading everything in the Bible, namely it means one is more acquainted with the Bible. And thus, reading it more frequently is also a good thing, since the more we read Scripture the more familiar and acquainted we are with it.

But if one were to ask me if I thought it was necessary, or even if a Christian should read through the whole Bible, I'd probably say no; or rather I'd say go ahead if they want to.

But there really are parts of the Bible that, while important big picture, important in the whole scheme of the rest of the Bible, and thus absolutely good for exegetes, theologians, pastors, teachers, etc to study and have knowledge of--aren't necessarily as important for the average Bible reader. The generations of "begots" are important, but it's probably not something that it's going to be all that important for the average Christian to need to know on a day to day basis.

In other words, if you forget how old Genesis says Noah's father Lamech lived, or if you forget that there are actually two Lamech's mentioned in Genesis, that's really not a big deal. And it's probably never going to come up in general Christian conversation.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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FaithT

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While there is certainly benefit to reading everything in the Bible, namely it means one is more acquainted with the Bible. And thus, reading it more frequently is also a good thing, since the more we read Scripture the more familiar and acquainted we are with it.

But if one were to ask me if I thought it was necessary, or even if a Christian should read through the whole Bible, I'd probably say no; or rather I'd say go ahead if they want to.

But there really are parts of the Bible that, while important big picture, important in the whole scheme of the rest of the Bible, and thus absolutely good for exegetes, theologians, pastors, teachers, etc to study and have knowledge of--aren't necessarily as important for the average Bible reader. The generations of "begots" are important, but it's probably not something that it's going to be all that important for the average Christian to need to know on a day to day basis.

In other words, if you forget how old Genesis says Noah's father Lamech lived, or if you forget that there are actually two Lamech's mentioned in Genesis, that's really not a big deal. And it's probably never going to come up in general Christian conversation.

-CryptoLutheran
Well, my brother in law is on his third time reading the whole Bible so I want to see if I can do it, too. I’m only on Numbers and can’t say if I’ll be able to finish it or not.
 
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Soyeong

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Who here has read the entire Bible, and by entire I mean including Leviticus’ constant talk about slaughtering animals, blood. talk in either Exodus or Leviticus about making tabernacles and priestly clothing etc.?
Or do you skim or skip those parts?
i‘m trying to read the entire Bible and the OT books I’ve read so far are just so boring, violent and gross.
I’ve already read the entire NT with the exception of Revelation, which two pastors advised me not to read due to the difficult times I’ve had, worrying about the end of the world.

So how do you ger through the entire OT?
The book of Revelation begins with a blessing for the who read it, so it is not intended to cause us to worry about end times, but to assure us that God wins in the end.
 
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