How’s Your Bible Reading Going? A Mid-Year Check-up

Reading the Bible Chronologically

This year, I’ve chosen the chronological plan. The books of the Bible do not appear in chronological order. This can complicate one’s understanding of what happened when, and which characters belong in which story. Take, for instance, the prophets. We see in 2 Kings 19–20 that the prophet Isaiah ministered in Judah during the time of Hezekiah. But Isaiah also commands an entire book of prophecies, and as we learn in the very first statement of that book, he spoke the Word of God to several kings: “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Isa. 1:1).

But the chronological Bible plan places separated content into the historical lineup. So we find psalms interspersed into the life of David. The proverbs follow the life of Solomon. The different prophets appear within the stories of the kings to whom they ministered. The Gospel accounts, many of which are duplicated within the four books, are listed together to give as linear a story of Jesus’s life as possible. And the letters from Paul and other apostles appear within the accounts of their lives, mostly found in Acts. You get the picture.

Why choose this method? I like it because it helps place potentially confusing content within its original context. And context is king when it comes to reading the Bible. Only when we see what the author wanted his original audience to know can we come to understand what God wants us to know as well. And by reading through the entire Bible progressively, we understand better how well each book (66 of them), written over the course of 1500 years by over 40 authors, tells one great redemptive story of God loving his people. Within the Bible we find letters, poetry, narrative, prophecy, history, and apocalyptic literature.

It’s the top best-selling book of all time for a reason.