Old Testament Reflections…

• How would you respond to Elihu’s claims about God? Does he get any parts right? What does he get wrong? 
• In God’s response to Job, what does God want Job to realize? How does that realization affect Job? (In other words, how does Job respond and change?) 
• Job’s friends fail miserably in the task of comforting Job. In what ways do Job’s “comforters” minimize God? Can you think of any ways we may be tempted to minimize God in our efforts to console a suffering friend (or in our own suffering)? 
• The book of Job addresses themes of God’s sovereignty and human suffering. Overall, how does this book contribute to our understanding of God? Of the human condition? 

New Testament Reflections…

• In Acts 17, Paul is deeply troubled by the idol worship he sees in Athens. What is my reaction to the sin I see around me? Am I deeply troubled? Angry? Apathetic?
• What do you notice about the ways Paul interacts with those he shares the gospel with? (For example, in 17:23, we see that Paul finds a point of connection. We also see various reactions to Paul’s message.) What can we learn from Paul about sharing Christ with others? 
• You may want to trace Paul’s missionary journeys using some Bible maps: https://www.bible-history.com/biblehistoryonline_missionstatement.php#Doctrinal_Statement
• In Acts 20:32 Paul entrusts those he has taught to God and His grace. Do you ever find it difficult to entrust those you love to God’s work in their lives?

I have been taking a course through the Simeon Trust (www.simeontrust.org) called “First Principles” (of Bible Study). It sounds fundamental but it’s not just typical Bible study tips. These Bible teachers (including one of my favorites, Nancy Guthrie) share the most practical information (and at the risk of sounding like an infomercial, the courses are only $19!) 

Anyway, one of the “first principles” is: “Every book of the Bible has a unique melodic line.” In other words, each book of the Bible makes a unique contribution to the overarching story of the Bible. It’s kind of like identifying the theme or main idea of the book, but then you try to state it in a way that identifies that book’s uniqueness in Scripture. 

How do you use “melodic line” as you read Scripture? 

1. Come up with a provisional melodic line statement (after reading the book or skimming through, or after reading the beginning and ending sections of a book). You can adjust this later if it doesn’t seem to reflect the book accurately. 
2. As you read through the book, ask yourself how particular passages relate to that melodic line. 

When you come across passages that you’re not quite sure how to interpret, attempting to relate the passage to the melodic line is one strategy to help yourself stay on track and out of the weeds. 

So, with that in mind…
Old Testament readers have just finished Ezra and we’re nearly finished with Nehemiah. New Testament readers are working through the book of Acts. 
How would you state the melodic line of each book? (Since we’ve just started Acts, try reading the beginning and end of Acts and coming up with a provisional melodic line.) Use this to check yourself with each day’s reading. If you have several days that don’t seem to fit, you may need to adjust your melodic line. 

I wanted to share some thoughts from an article I read recently in Bible Study magazine (May/June 2021). Ryan J. Pemberton, in his article “Where Are You?” writes about how some days his quiet times with the Lord are sweet, as he takes his time considering the Scriptures and talking to the Lord in prayer. Other days, however, busyness hijacks that quiet, reflective time. He considers God’s question to Adam in Genesis 3:9: “Where are you?” Pemberton ponders whether God might ask the same question of him on those busy days. That thought has stuck with me! 

A few more ideas to reflect upon…

Old Testament:

• I Chronicles 1-9 contain genealogies with a few little stories mixed in. What significance do the genealogies have? Why do you think the stories were included? 
• What implications do you see in I Chronicles 19 for how we can support one another? 
• Does it surprise you when Satan appears on the scene in I Chronicles 21? What is Satan’s role? What is the result? How could David have escaped the temptation?
• Why do you think David wanted to perform a census? What heart issues may have been at work?
• As you think about the kings of Israel and Judah that we have read about in I & 2 Kings and I & 2 Chronicles, what generalizations can you make? What traits did the “good” kings of Judah have in common? In what respects did the “good” kings fall short?
• In 2 Chronicles 32:25 Hezekiah falls into the sin of pride. What preceded this fall into sin? When you are most vulnerable to the sin of pride?

New Testament:

• In John 12 some Jewish leaders believed; however, they failed to act on their belief. Why?
• As you reflect on Jesus’ example of service in John 13, consider John’s purpose in showing that Jesus is God’s Son. If you had been one of the disciples, how do you think you would have viewed Jesus’ actions? 
• It’s hard not to catch the excitement of the early church as you begin the book of Acts, isn’t it? In some ways, it seems hard to believe that we are reading about the same disciples that we read about in the gospels! What differences do you notice in the disciples from the gospels to the opening of Acts? What accounts for the differences? What relevance might this have for us as believers today? 
• How do the early believers treat one another? What traits characterize the believers of the early church?