ISBN: 9780310414315
Date Read: 2024-02-15
How Strongly I Recommend It: 5/5
(See my list of 4+ books, for more.)
It gives an excellent overview of the context of the bible. It explains the purpose of Scripture, how we should read scripture, provide contexts for the different sections of the bible. Even covers the geography of Palestine, culture, and history surrounding the Scripture. It is easy to read and provides practical instructions for exegesis. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to start reading the bible. If one wishes to learn more about how to read the bible then I would recommend taking a look at *How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth* by Gordon Fee.
My Notes
The Purpose of the Bible
2 Tim 3:15-17
The bible’s purpose is not science, philosophy, or literature
The bible aims to be more practical than theoretical. It is concerned with how we should live than answering all of our questions.
The bible’s main purpose is Salvation through Christ.
The Scripture is full of Christ.
Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”
Jesus taught the two disciples that all of Scripture talks of Jesus (Luke 24:27)
The Law (Pentateuch)
The Messiah will be a son of Adam, a Jew, and he will bless all of earth
The Messiah will be prophet that comes after Moses
The law points us toward the Messiah
The Prophet (Including Joshua to Kings)
Jesus as the true great King of Israel bringing in the Kingdom of God
Isaiah 9:6-7
Isaiah 53:5-6
The Writings (Psalm and wisdom literature)
Many psalms prophesied about Jesus
Jesus quoted the Psalms
Jesus as the wisdom of God
Acts is the continuation of how Christ is working through the church
The gospel records contains eye witness account of Jesus
Scripture not only talks about Christ but aims to led us to trust in Christ
When we read Scripture we aim to see Christ, and to believe in Him
The Land of The Bible
God has spoken to us in historic and geographic particularities. Because God is personal, we can see and learn about God from how He dealt with the Israelites as well as learning from the mistakes and acts of faith from the people of the Bible. Instead of abstract doctrines.
Jerusalem as “the center of the world”, connecting the 3 continents.
Palestine meaning “the fertile crescent”
The Bible describes the Promised land as an exceedingly good land and beautiful containing various terrains
Palestine can be divided into 4 strips.
The Coastal Plain
The Central Highland, where Jerusalem is
The Jordan valley, where the sea of Galilee, Jordan River, and the Dead Sea reside
Eastern Highlands, area east of the Jordan Valley, where 2 and a half tribe of Israel reside
Agriculture and Rainfall
The Israelites were Shepherds. They didn’t really keep sheep for mutton, but for wool and milk. Instead of driving the sheep they would lead them, calling each sheep by name, and the sheep would know the voice of the Shepard and follow
Ps. 23, Jesus is the “Good Shepard”
Israelites were farmers, therefore rain is very important for the Israelites
God promised that the land will be fruitful if Israel remain faithful, but will curse the land if the Israel become idolatrous.
There are many agricultural analogies being used in the bible precisely because the Israelites were farmers, and so many would understand these and remember them in their daily lives.
Psalm 65:9-13, praises God for the harvest
God is both God of Creation and God of Israel
The Three Annual Festivals
The Feast of the Passover
Israel’s redemption from Egypt
Took place in middle of April, the first harvest of barley
The Feast of the First Fruits or Harvest (Feast of Weeks or Pentecost)
Celebrated 7 weeks after the Passover
Celebration for the completion of the grain harvest
Commemorating the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai
Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:43)
dwell in booths for 7 days
Mid Octobers, harvest of vineyard and olive yard, grain field
The Feast reminds Israel both of God’s Redemption of Israel and God’s providence through creation
The harvest are token of good things from God that came from the good land that God gave
The Story of the Bible (Old Testament)
Creation
Abraham’s call, and God’s promise
Exodus, renewed Covenant, Moral Law, and Day of Atonement
Israel wondering in the wilderness
Characterized by complaining and unbelief
Israel’s settlement into Canaan
Failure to exterminate the inhabitants leading to moral decay (Judges)
Samuel was a judge not through military power, but through prayer and repentance
Israel becomes a Monarchy
Jerusalem means “city of peace”
Saul, David, Solomon
The Kingdom Divided
The Northern Kingdom of Israel
Jezebel who led Israel to sin -> Jehu -> Jeroboam II
Prophets: Elijah, Amos
King Ahaz, leading to the end of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians
Lamentation speaks of the fall of the Southern Kingdom
The Restoration from Babylon Captivity
Babylonian defeated by Cyrus and decreed that the captives be sent home (Ezra 6:3-5)
Abraham from Land of Ur, Israel from Egypt, Judah from Babylon
Zerubbabel (Restored Temple), Ezra (restored Law), then Nehemiah (restored City Wall)
The writing of Malachi was during this time
The Intertestamental period
The second half of Daniel seems to be about this 400 year period where no one heard God’s voice. Which speaks of the rise and fall of great empires (Babylon, Greek, Rome)
Alexander the Great was during this time
The books of Maccabees writes concerning this time
The Story of the Bible (New Testament)
We learn most about Jesus in the four “Gospels”
We can trust the four Gospels because
They were written by Christian men,
The Holy Spirit would help them to remember what was said, and done by Jesus
They were eyewitnesses of Jesus
Luke was the only gentile writer of the Gospel
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic gospels
John takes a very different approach from the synoptic gospel, and is more philosophical. Focusing on Jesus as the “Word”, His deity and series of “Signs”
Luke told of Jesus’s birth from Mary’s perspective and Matthew told of Jesus’s birth from Joseph’s perspective
Mark went straight into Jesus’ ministry, while John went back and told of the Word that was there in the beginning with God.
Jesus’s three year of ministry can be divided into 3 years: Year of Obscurity, Year of Popularity, and Year of Adversity
Year of Popularity: John 6:14, Jesus’ was so popular the Jew wanted to crown Him king (politically)
Year of Adversity: began with Jesus’ hard sayings. Jesus began to reveal that He came to be killed and to rise after 3 days. The mount of transfiguration happens. Jesus’ claim of deity become bolder and bolder. Tension with the Pharisees grew. Jesus is on His way toward Jerusalem.
The Early Church grew fast, but not without resistance (Persecution, Ananias and Sapphira, Distraction of other affairs). The Gospel starts to reach the Gentiles.
Paul’s first missionary journey -> Galatian Church -> Council of Jerusalem
Paul’s second missionary journey (with Silas) -> Galatian Church passing the Council’s decision -> Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth)
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey -> Ephesus -> Corinth (and letters to the Corinth) -> Letters to the Romans -> Back to Jerusalem
1 and 2 Peter, and 1-3 John during the persecution from Nero during high Christian persecution and heresy (Gnostic)
Revelation also was written during widespread persecution
The Message of the Bible
God reveals His plan progressively from the Old Testament to the New Testament (Hebrews 1:1-2)
The Bible is God revealing Himself: God is the only True and Living God, He is Sovereign, consistent with Himself, and God is Love. Covenantal grace to His chosen people and common grace to all.
Redemption:
Old Testament: Abraham from the Land of Ur, Israel from Egypt, and Judah from Babylon. And the Passover.
New Testament: Jesus dying for us as the Sacrificial Lamb for our sin.
Adoption:
God redeemed us so that He may be our God and we may be His people
God often relate to us in the Father-Son, or Husband-Wife Analogy
To be His People is to be holy; to be set apart
The Holy Spirit is the seal that we are His children
His people are to be united in truth, regardless of race (Jews or Gentile) and class (slave or free)
Glorification:
Christ’s return, Resurrection, Judgment, New Heaven and New Earth
The Authority of the Bible
God has revealed Himself and have breathed His words through chosen men. These words (The bible) then have the same authority as the one who breathed it (God).
God however did not inspire the writers of the Bible through mechanical means, they still retain their personality, background, and style. Therefore, it is a dual authorship of both God and man.
What the Bible affirms is true.
Context and genre of the book is extremely important in interpretation
The Bible authors affirms the authority of Scripture, the consistency of the Bible across thousands of year and multiple writers reveals its divinity, the fulfillment of prophecies, and finally Christ’s own affirmation that the Bible is God’s word.
Jesus applied the OT in His own life, shown in the temptation in the Wilderness against the devil
Jesus fulfills the OT prophesy and laws.
Jesus had high regards for the word and often used it to debate against the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Christ affirms the authority of the NT through the Twelve Apostles + Paul
They were prayerfully selected and called by Jesus, with unique roles that are different from the other followers of Christ
Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit which would remind them of what Jesus said and done, and more.
They were eye witness of Jesus’ resurrection
They had power to work miracles which proved their authority
The apostles acknowledged their authority, and the early church also acknowledged their authority.
No Christian doctrine is without it problems. And having problems doesn’t mean that we discard them completely, we deal with them with intellectual integrity. In some cases we might be satisfied with the apparent “contradiction”, but often we don’t. In those cases we need to still hold those truth because Christ Himself affirms them.
The Interpretation of the Bible
Teachers of the Bible
The Holy Spirit both reveals and illuminates.
Holy Spirit helps those who are born again, humble, obedient, and communicative in understanding the Bible
We must also play an active part working with the Holy Spirit in disciplined study of the Scripture.
God also speaks through others, especially the local church.
Principles for Reading the Bible
We are to read for the plain meaning of the text. And plain meaning does not mean “literal” meaning. Use common sense to distinguish literal and metaphorical(Psalms, Parable, Allegories). “What did the author intend to say?”
We are also to read the Bible with context to it’s original setting. It’s historical, cultural, language and the occasion of which it was written.
We also read the general meaning by reading the Bible as a whole. Using Scripture to interpret Scripture. Scripture should be consistent and harmonious
Progressive Revelation does not mean from false to truth, but truth to more truth.
