OLD TESTAMENT…
Once the book of Judges is completed we continue in our reading through more of the historical books of the Old Testament. The book of Ruth is a beautiful story which speaks of God’s redemptive work in the midst of darkness. It is a book that was written during the period of the judges, when they were ruling over Israel. Beginning in the book of 1 Samuel we cover an extended period of Israel’s history known as the period of the kings. This period of history begins with the people asking for a king like the other nations had. It has always been and always will be that God desires to be our only Lord and king. However after much insistence, God gave them a king. 1 & 2 Samuel cover a historical period known as the united kingdom of Israel when Saul & David ruled the 12 tribes of Israel. 1 & 2 Kings is a continuation of the period of the kings. 1 Kings picks up where 2 Samuel left off with David death and his son Solomon ruling in his place. Upon Solomon’s death, the kingdom was divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The rest of these two books give us a history of the 19 kings of Israel…none of which were good, and the 20 kings of Judah of which only 8 were good. These books, for the most part, are written chronologically. However, pay close attention…because as the author alternates between the two kingdoms there will be an occasional step backwards into the time period of the other king. This will make sense as you get into these books.

NEW TESTAMENT…
Over the next two months we will read through one gospel and seven epistles, which we know are actually letters. All of these seven letters were written by Paul to various individuals and churches. Titus is a natural letter to follow 1 & 2 Timothy because, like Paul’s letters to Timothy it was written to Titus, a pastor. He wrote to help Titus establish elders as well as other offices within the church. The Gospel of Matthew was written to show Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills prophecy. Galatians is Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia and speak of the importance of grace over the law with warnings about legalism. His letter to the Ephesians was written to show believers what it means to be a follower of Jesus and encourage them in their spiritual walk. This letter along with Philippians and Colossians were are written from imprisonment in Rome. This is so remarkable when you realize that such encouraging letters were written by a man who was in prison. Philippians is a great letter of encouragement written to express Paul’s love and affection for the church. Colossians was written specifically to counteract heretical teachings. Heretical teachings are those teaching contrary to the gospel…which tells us that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead…in order to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place for us in heaven. Some believe that the book of Hebrews was written by Paul, others are not sure. It is an amazing book which teaches the superiority of Jesus Christ over the Old Testament Law.

SKIP TO THE MONTH YOU ARE READING BY CLICKING A LINK BELOW:
JANUARY/FEBRUARY , MARCH/APRIL , MAY/JUNE , JULY/AUGUST , SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER , NOVEMBER/DECEMBER