Month: October 2020

A bike and the Bible – The Gospels, Acts, and Romans – part 14

We’ve finally made it to the Gospels, Acts, and Romans, on this journey through the Bible. Join me as we take a quick ride past these first several books of the New Testament.

If you’ve followed this trek you’ll know we just made our way through the Old Testament. On the bike ride this brought us to a trestle high above a creek.

The Gospels

The Gospels – Mathew, Mark, Luke, John – are where Jesus came to earth, walked the land, healed the sick, and taught about the Kingdom of God. This is where we encounter the tangible Jesus, living among the people.

Viewed from above

The creek at this point of the bike ride was viewed from the height of a train trestle far above the water below. Matthew’s Gospel starts with a genealogy which at first glance appears far removed from the story of Jesus. Many people are confused by this list of names, still others skip it entirely, and some like me initially get lost in it until we find some familiarity and discoveries in it.

Matthew Mark Luke John

Matthew gives us Jesus’ lineage and Kingdom teaching. The genealogy in the first chapter of this Gospel links Jesus to King David, whose story we discovered in 1 and 2 Samuel in the Old Testament.

Mark walks out the gospel with Jesus on the move in ministry.

Luke shows us the shepherds and a whole lot of “carefully investigated” details. (Luke 1:3)

And John just confused me the first several times I peeked inside. What was this Word stuff right at the beginning of this Gospel? After reading Genesis I recognized the connection to John’s Gospel and the beginning of the Bible.

As I continue to look into these four books of the New Testament that share details of Jesus’ life and ministry, I start to understand a little more about the Gospels and the love of God.

Look around

Once I grew accustomed to riding on gravel I could look around and see my surroundings instead of just the rocks under my bicycle tires.

When I glanced out past the trestle across the vast forest of trees I recognized parts of the trail I had ridden over. This section folded back around so I could see out over a segment of the path on which I had already traveled.

Bigger picture

Taking a step back gave me a more encompassing view of the bike trail.

I hope that if you’ve followed along on this ride that just rolled through the Old Testament that you, too, have started to grasp a bigger picture of what’s in the Bible.

More tunnels

I relished this moment on the ride because soon we were riding through two more tunnels.

Acts and Romans

Tunnels. That’s what the books of Acts and Romans felt like to me at one time.

When I first read Acts it was a cure for insomnia. I couldn’t get through it. Too many details. Too many storylines. After spending more time with my Bible open I began to recognize the names of people in Acts and connect them to other places in Scripture.

Where Gospels leave off

Acts takes up where the Gospels leave off. In fact, Acts is the move of the people in ministry, the early church, after Jesus heads back to heaven (resurrection and ascension) at the end of the Gospels.

Connections to books around it

If we skim Acts we’ll see names from the Gospels and names mentioned in the books of the Bible that follow. No need to spend much time in it now, just note the connections to the books around it. This basic knowledge will help anchor more of the content of the Bible.

Tunnels

I think just being accustomed to riding through several tunnels on the trail helped me travel through these next two.

Although some of the details in Acts were hard to remember, I was starting to grasp more aspects of Scripture so I knew the feeling of being in the dark wouldn’t last.

This tunnel and the next one were not as long as the first few. I think I was able to see the light shining through as I entered one of them.

Having a glimpse of visible light was helpful at this point in the Bible – for the book of Acts and the one that follows, Romans.

Romans

My first glimpse at Romans was probably similar to my experience with Acts. A lot of information that I couldn’t keep track of. This book was different from the Gospels and Acts. Romans is the first of the letters in the New Testament. This one happens to be a letter to the church in Rome written by Paul whose story can be found in Acts. See how these connections work?

The Book of Romans is Paul’s teaching about Jesus. This is another book that becomes clearer to me each time I return to it.

If you are reading along in your Bible, I encourage you not to get bogged down by Acts or Romans. We’ll keep rolling through the New Testament to glance at the next section of letters. Ready?

For a reminder of where we’ve been:

A bike and the Bible – Daniel and the Minor Prophets – part 13

For a refresher on 1 and 2 Samuel (and King David):

A bike and the Bible – Joshua to 1 and 2 Samuel – part 8

A bike and the Bible – Daniel and the Minor Prophets – part 13

The Book of Daniel, followed by the Minor Prophets, including Joel and Jonah, is the next phase of this journey through the Bible, and concludes the Old Testament.

After the series of tunnels on the bike ride, we came to a gate. In some ways this signified the next phase of the ride, kind of how Daniel transitions us from the Major to the Minor Prophets.

Major Prophet Daniel

Daniel is the last of the line-up of the Major Prophets. His book is shorter than the two that precede it. Rather than start with visions as Jeremiah and Ezekiel did, Daniel starts with a narrative which for me makes it easier to follow.

2 Kings connects to Major Prophets

As with the other Major Prophets, Daniel’s opening verses help us place it in the time of the kings. Just an aside, I think when I first read through 1 and 2 Kings I slogged through them. Since then I have referred back to 2 Kings often as I look for the connecting points to the Prophets.

Daniel

The Book of Daniel gives a bit of this young man’s back story before he begins to interpret the dreams of a king. The second half of this book consists of Daniel’s own dreams and their interpretations.

I appreciate that God gave Daniel (and us) the interpretation of the dreams. I’m not always quick to catch the vision of what Scripture says. I’m thankful when God spells it out for me.

Trestle

A series of trestles followed the gate on the bike ride. If you recall from my mention of Isaiah, you might remember my first experience with a trestle was rather tentative. I could barely look over the edge. By the time we reached the one with the creek I was leaning over the side.

Minor Prophets Joel Jonah

Having made it through the Major Prophets, this look into the Minor Prophets was somewhat easier. The Minor Prophets like Joel and Jonah are shorter in length, but the messages God gave each of them still pack a punch.

Message

The Minor Prophets are a mixed bag of visions which refers not only to what message God revealed through each prophet, but also how God gave instructions to each of them. Often the prophecy that God revealed was a warning if things didn’t change.

Joel

Imagery of a locust plague is found in Joel. If you think about the passage in Exodus 10 that describes the first mention of a locust plague, you can get a sense of how terrifying this warning was.

Acts

Joel is also quoted in the book of Acts during Pentecost. (See Acts 2:16-18) Here is the passage that originates in Joel:

 “And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29 NIV

Acts is in the New Testament and follows the Gospels. Joel is just one place in Scripture that establishes a connection between the Old and New Testament.

Jonah

If you want a good grasp on a Minor Prophet, read Jonah. His story is familiar and only four chapters long. It walks through God’s call for Jonah to deliver a message of warning in Nineveh and what transpires when he ultimately does. There’s a whole lot more in the middle, but these are the book-ends of this narrative.

Minor Prophets

Here are the names of the Minor Prophets:

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Malachi

Malachi concludes the Minor Prophets and the Old Testament.

Congratulations! If you’ve been riding along you just made it through the Old Testament!

I still had a good portion of the bike ride to go, but this is certainly a milestone on the journey through the Bible.

Catching up?

A bike and the Bible – Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel – part 12

A bike and the Bible – Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Isaiah – part 11

A bike and the Bible – Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel – part 12

Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel plunge back into tunnels of darkness, as did the next section of bike trail. In this quick look at these Major Prophets, let’s see if we can find some connections to other places in Scripture to help us understand what’s in them.

More tunnels

Well it’s a good thing I had such a refreshing moment at the creek because soon we were plunging back into darkness. More tunnels.

Major Prophets – Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel

Following Isaiah comes more of the longer prophetic books, the Major Prophets of Jeremiah, Lamentations (Jeremiah’s lament), and Ezekiel. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel each received messages from God.

As with the bike path which at this point alternated between dark and light, tunnels and trails, these prophetic books have moments that might make sense and others that simply confuse.

Not my favorite

These three books were not my favorite part of Scripture, just like the tunnels were not my favorite part of the ride. But we had to ride through so many tunnels, that after a while I got used to them, even rode through some pretty quickly, much faster than I did through the first tunnel. Riding fast was more enjoyable.

Read fast

Reading fast helped me see things I didn’t when I plodded along wondering how much longer it would take to get through these Major Prophets.

Quick look

So let’s take a quick look at Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel, and see if we can find some connections to other places in Scripture to help us understand what’s in them.

Connect Jeremiah and Lamentations

Right away we can connect two of these books of the Bible together – Jeremiah and Lamentations. These were both written by the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah preaches doom and gloom to the Israelites before Jerusalem falls to Babylon. This lengthy prophetic book of the Bible may feel like a long dreary, dark tunnel, but we can also find some connecting points in it.

Overlap with 2 Kings

When I started reading Jeremiah, I noticed reference to a number of kings. I glanced back and found the same names in 2 Kings which ended with the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Remember him from 2 Kings?

The fall of Jerusalem is also covered in the last chapter of Jeremiah, chapter 52.

2 Kings 24:18 through 2 Kings 25 overlaps with Jeremiah 52.

That helps us place the timing of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Clear as mud?

For fun, read this passage in 2 Kings:

2 Kings 24:18 – 2 Kings 25

Then flip to the last chapter of Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 52

Bonus points if you compare the two sections and note the subtle differences.

See how some of this starts to make sense in a murky sort of way?

Lamentations

Jeremiah laments the fall of Jerusalem in the Book of Lamentations. This book is short but still just as gloomy.

Another tunnel on the bike ride.

Lamentations like the Psalms, gives us a place to anchor into sorrow.

“I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths of the pit.
 You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.’
 You came near when I called you,
    and you said, ‘Do not fear.’” Lamentations 3:55-57 NIV

Ezekiel

Ready for another tunnel?

Ezekiel preaches from Babylon where he lives among the exiles. His message isn’t any brighter than Jeremiah’s. From Babylon he describes the bad that will befall those who remained in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel does however include a message of hope for those in exile:

“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’” Ezekiel 11:16 NIV

Connection

Once I noticed a connection between these books and 2 Kings, I started flipping back and forth to try to better understand the context of these Major Prophets.

A glimpse of light

On the bike ride these tunnels were still dim and some stirred up reminders of the experience with the first really long dark tunnel. But these were shorter and I could see farther inside them and at least catch a glimpse of light from the other side. Riding through them and not stuck inside them I was able to continue moving forward.

I hope you will be able to do the same with these three books of the Bible – move through and not get stuck in the middle of them.

Recognition

When I recognized the correlation between 2 Kings and the Major Prophets, I found a way to stay grounded and move through them, all because I had read 2 Kings.

See how cool this is?

For a refresher on the creek I mentioned:

A bike and the Bible – Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Isaiah – part 11

Want a review of 1 and 2 Kings?

A bike and the Bible – 1 and 2 Kings to Nehemiah – part 9

A bike and the Bible – Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Isaiah – part 11

Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Isaiah, remind me of the trestles on the bike ride. We can give them a quick glance or deeper look as we connect them to their surroundings.

Trestles

On this bike ride several elements made the ride a bit shaky – gravel, dark tunnels, and now a series of trestles. Watching a train travel over a trestle was one thing, riding a bike over it was quite another.

The first trestle was really high. I preferred to ride more toward the center and away from the edges. The span wire that served as a guard rail appeared more like a suggestion than a protective barrier. Still seated on my bike I placed my foot on the equivalent of a curb and looked out across the valley – but only briefly looked down.

I could barely get up off my bike to take a look. I was finally getting used to this bike and the gravel path on which I pedaled. Adding the dimension of height and a flimsy looking barrier made this stretch of the ride a bit tenuous.

At the first trestle I did appreciate the expansive view. In the distance I noticed a parade of miniature bikes among the trees. It took me a moment to realize I was looking at riders who were farther ahead of me on the trail.

Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah

This reminds me of the next few books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Isaiah, which brought recognition to my Bible path as I connected them to other aspects of Scripture.

Solomon

Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, also known as Song of Solomon, were both written by Solomon. Yes, that Solomon, author of Proverbs, which we mentioned last week. He was also King David’s son.

Just a little insight on Solomon. He asked God for wisdom and he received. But later in life he didn’t use his God-given wisdom. He made bad choices, allowed himself to be influenced by others, and fell away from God. Ecclesiastes reflects the wrestling he experienced.

You may be familiar with Ecclesiastes chapter 3, how everything has its season.

Song of Songs presents a love story and also represents the love of Christ for His bride, the church.

Learn more about Solomon

A fun exercise might be to skim Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs, in light of knowing they were all written by the same author.

For a fuller picture, go back to Solomon’s story in 1 Kings.

See patterns

Much like connecting Solomon to some books of the Bible, at this point on the trail I started to see patterns. I had seen some of these elements before – a tunnel, a bridge, and now a few trestles.

Information

We also came across information boards, either a map to show us “you are here” or some history about the train that had gone through that section.

This reminds me of the moment when I could see across the valley and note movement in the distance. Eventually I could discern the places from which I had ridden. I started to recognize where I had been which helped me better understand where I was on the route.

Scripture tie-ins

If you’ve followed me through this path in the Bible, you’ve probably started to notice some of that too, how elements and sections of Scripture tie in to other places in the Word.

Isaiah

That leads to the third book of the Bible mentioned in this post – Isaiah, the first of the prophetic books, called a Major Prophet because of its length. Minor Prophets are the shorter books.

Trestle over the water

It also brings me to the trestle that was most rewarding, the one over the water.

The creek

The creek at long last. I think I heard it before I saw it. I felt compelled to look down over the edge of this bridge with the flimsy railing – in spite of my trepidation – to see and not just hear the rushing water.

So I stepped up onto the curb and leaned over the side to see the water far below. The reward was wonderful. Not only could I hear the refreshing water but I could drink it in with my own eyes.

Appreciate the flowing water

By the time I reached that particular trestle I had enough confidence to peer over the side to really appreciate the flowing water.

Jesus

The Book of Isaiah is where we here of the promised Messiah, Jesus.

“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
 And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NIV

For me, that’s the rushing water of truth in Isaiah. The life-giving water of God’s Presence.

We can read this passage of Scripture the same way we did the Psalms. Find the aspect of the phrase that really speaks to our hearts, our situation, our need. What reassurance this provides.

If we think of God as He appears in these verses, we can receive the comfort we need in times of distress.

The rushing water of the creek below the trestle was peace like a river for my soul.

A bike and the Bible – Esther Job Psalms Proverbs – part 10

Want a few reminders about Solomon?

A bike and the Bible – 1 and 2 Kings to Nehemiah – part 9

A bike and the Bible – Esther Job Psalms Proverbs – part 10

Esther, Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, like the shorter tunnels on the bike ride, can feel like a mix of dark and light. There are still some convoluted places, but more light.

Bike trail and more tunnels

After the second tunnel of the ride – which as I mentioned last week, caught me off guard – we were back to bike trail out in the open. We came across a few tunnels, but all were much smaller and most of the time I could see the light shining through to the other end, making this section of trail much more approachable than the initial long tunnel.

Approachable

These next four books of the Bible – Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs – are like that too.

Esther

The Book of Esther might confuse with all those names and details, but it is fairly short and reads like a story complete with hero and villain. The main character, Esther, inspires as she pushes through her fear to follow God’s lead in her life.

Job

Right after Esther comes Job (rhymes with robe). Much like the section of bike trail that ran right into a tunnel, Job leads straight into darkness. If you thought your life had challenges, Job really has a rough go of it.

One thing the Book of Job has going for it is the format. This book reads like a play which could be called Job and his unhelpful friends. After Job’s life falls apart, his well-intentioned friends offer advice, but they blame Job for his problems. Job’s perspective changes when he focuses on God and not on his problems.

Anybody notice a theme with these two books?

Psalms

The Book of Psalms leads us back into the light of day after the darkness of Job, if not from the content, then at least from the length of the Psalms. I really like the Psalms because of the varied number of verses of each text and the layers of feelings represented. They cover the gamut of emotions often reflecting the raw experience of the author or intended audience.

Proverbs

I think of Proverbs as the fortune cookie of the Bible, often short phrases to ponder. Some are more straightforward than others. Some require a little more thought. So for me, depending on the Proverb, these can either be like the trail in the daylight or another short tunnel.

If we look at the first lines of Proverbs we see they were written by Solomon. Remember him?

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

  for gaining wisdom and instruction;
   for understanding words of insight;” Proverbs 1:1-2 NIV

Scripture always available

With any Scripture passage, release the need to fully understand what you read. Scripture is always available to come back to and see something new in.

Esther Job Psalms Proverbs

Esther and Job read as standalone stories, Psalms and Proverbs break up nicely and are often assigned in Bible reading plans along with other sections of Scripture.

So whether you opt for a story format or smaller passages of Scripture, Esther, Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, offer accessible entry into the Bible.

Want a reminder of what comes before these books?

A bike and the Bible – 1 and 2 Kings to Nehemiah – part 9

A few more thoughts on the Psalms:

Psalms at the heart of the Bible:

Finding my place

A way to look at the 23rd Psalm – a structure for viewing the Psalms:

How to hear from God – where to look