After my study last night in Genesis, I feel I need to do a 'shout out' for the study book I use. The name of the book is 'Search the Scriptures: A Three-Year Daily Devotional Guide to the Whole Bible', edited by Alan M Stibbs. I would probably say that this is my second favorite book ever.
The book was recommended to me years ago, and I have been using it ever since.
I'll tell you why I love this book and why I highly recommend it. Where other devotionals give you a passage of Scripture to read and then give you comments on that passage of Scripture for you to meditate on. This book gives you the Scripture to read, and then it asks you some questions about what you read, occasionally giving reference to additional verses for you to consider as you answer the questions. So, if fact, you are studying the Bible rather than just reading it devotionaly. Now, that may sound as though I am saying you are simply going through a study program. But in fact, as you dig into the Word for your study, your eyes are opened to the glory and greatness of our God and are moved to worship and praise as much if not more so than with the usual devotionals you might use.
The introduction of the book recommends you journal or write out your answers. Oh my goodness, can I just say that this is part of the secret to this book. Writing out the answers causes you to focus onto the subject and often leads you deeper into the question/answer than just a mental response would produce! That was what happened to me last night. As I am writing out my answer, I suddenly saw another aspect -- the greatest part of the whole thing -- of the issue that I would otherwise have missed. I was totally blessed by that deeper insight.
Another thing I appreciate about this book is that it doesn't start in the Old Testament or in the New. The book has the Scriptures divided and organized in a completely unorthodox manner. Each section is about 2-weeks long, so many of the books of the Bible are divided up into 2 or more sections. Also, the sections are alternated between OT and NT, so you don't get bogged down at any point.
Now you might think that this is counter-intuitive. It is, but it works. If you think about it, the Bible is one book. One complete and harmonious volume. So, even as you work back and forth through the Scriptures, each section builds on the past sections and in each section there are references to other Scriptures. You come away with a renewed sense of the unity and harmony of all of it.
As a matter of fact, last night's 'Aha!' moment was from an OT section. The question related to the OT situation but then referenced a NT passage. Oh my goodness! It was absolutely amazing, as though the Author had specifically intended those two passages to be linked! I was so elated!
Oh, one other thing I should mention. The sections and order of the Scriptures the book takes you through is well thought out, especially for someone new to studying the Bible. The first two sections are from Luke and Genesis. It starts out with the basics and then finishes off with the more prophetic books, with Revelation as the finale.
So, I just wanted to put this out there. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It has blessed me greatly over the years and aided my understanding and appreciation for God's Word. Oh, and I will add that when I first began to use this book, I was a total novice at reading the Bible. I think like most people, I didn't know where to start. And just reading it, I came away saying, "Oh, that was nice." But I really had no idea whatsoever as to what the portion I had read was really about and how it really made a difference to my life, my understanding of the world, and my understanding of my God. This book revolutionized Bible study for me.
Love and blessings,
Ev
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