A Bible question!!!!

[OneFootInTheGrave]

except that the bible books are in chronological order for the most part

[rah]

After going to catholic school for 8 years and reading it every day, I've had more than enough of all that crap to last a life time. Listening to the Nuns explaining what they thought it meant was quite irritating. Then listening to the wackos justifying their hatred and biases based on obscure or ambiguous excerpts was the last straw. Good men don't need a book to tell them what's right or wrong. Only bad men need it so they can pretend they're good.

[Imran Siddiqui]

except that the bible books are in chronological order for the most part

They are more subject order, and chronological within that subject order (for example the Book of Daniel is after the Book of Ester in every Bible, but the story of Daniel happens prior to the story of Ester - Daniel though is in the books of the Prophets while Ester is in the books of Historical Narrative).

[Jon Miller]

except that the bible books are in chronological order for the most part

Except that biblical subjects like faith and salvation and so on have little to do with chronology.

If you are studying 'what happened to Jesus in Jericho' it is something you could study by looking at bible books which are next to eachother. If you are looking at more meaningful biblical subjects, you will not be able to.

One thing to recall is most books which are next to eachother do not even share authors...

JM

[The Mad Monk]

I have allowed myself to get sloppy.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

They are more subject order, and chronological within that subject order (for example the Book of Daniel is after the Book of Ester in every Bible, but the story of Daniel happens prior to the story of Ester - Daniel though is in the books of the Prophets while Ester is in the books of Historical Narrative).

"for the most part" ... but that goes more to Jon's "dilution"... ie it is a moot point on "right order" ... cover to cover is as good as if not better than some arbitrary other order.

Except that biblical subjects like faith and salvation and so on have little to do with chronology.

If you are studying 'what happened to Jesus in Jericho' it is something you could study by looking at bible books which are next to eachother. If you are looking at more meaningful biblical subjects, you will not be able to.

One thing to recall is most books which are next to eachother do not even share authors...

there is a difference between just reading and being a "bible student" ie going to be a preacher, or exercising your belief... just reading it outright has it's values, blood, gore, adultery, rape, slaughter, battles etc... not sure why the traditional religions skip over that for most part... it would attract more audience today than the "classical" focus points.

[Jon Miller]

But if you want to understand what the Bible stories mean, rather than just a collection of blood and gore and etc, then you need to study.

JM

[MikeH]

I think he meant it is best to read the Bible in different order some times... after all, its a collection of books. It's like saying you read a collection of books about the History of the World cover to cover, when sometimes you just want to read about WW2.

I didn't read it in one sitting. I read it all over a period of weeks.

[MikeH]

But if you want to understand what the Bible stories mean, rather than just a collection of blood and gore and etc, then you need to study.

JM

And pretty much all the Old Testament blood and gore bits you are told to ignore. Doesn't make them any less amazing to read.

[Jon Miller]

I actually wouldn't tell you to ignore them.

But I also wouldn't say 'read the story of Jepapth out of context and say that God is pleased by human sacrifice'. Although, admittedly, you can read some books nearby to know that the writers of the time did not consider human sacrifice a good thing.

JM

[Imran Siddiqui]

I didn't read it in one sitting. I read it all over a period of weeks.

I didn't say you did, but for a daily devotional text, it may be helpful to read it out of order. Read the Psalms one day, the Gospels another, the Old Testament Historical Narrative another, depending on where you feel led. I'd never say skip over things (though there are areas in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers where I wish had) as they are all part of the story of God.

I'm currently reading it all the way through, but I also sprinkle in reading of Psalms and Gospels.

[MikeH]

Perhaps better would be:

A lot of you were really getting a lot of mixed up unintended nutty messages out of old testament, so a means of clarifying was provided. if in doubt NT > OT

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Here is the official Apolyton Bible story for today.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+19&version=NIV

In those days Israel had no king.

Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, 3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents’ home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His father-in-law, the woman’s father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.

5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go.” 6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman’s father said, “Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself.” 7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. 8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.

9 Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home.” 10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.

11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night.”

12 His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.

16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”

18 He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the LORD.[a] No one has taken me in for the night. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”

20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.

22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.”

23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this outrageous thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such an outrageous thing.”

25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.

27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”

and if you want to know what happened next... read the next two chapters...

Moral of the story (after you read the other two chapters): This is what can happen when you have lack of regulation

[Imran Siddiqui]

Perhaps better would be:

A lot of you were really getting a lot of mixed up unintended nutty messages out of old testament, so a means of clarifying was provided. if in doubt NT > OT

Fair enough . I like reading the Bible as a progression of humanity's understanding of their God. Which is, yes, why reading it from cover to cover does work, but one should remind themselves that God has been revealed as somewhat nicer than the first Jews saw him.

That, and when reading the Bible for devotion, those things don't matter as much.

[kentonio]

But if you want to understand what the Bible stories mean, rather than just a collection of blood and gore and etc, then you need to study it long enough to convince yourself that it means something other than what the words actually say.

Fixed that for you.