Tag: Abraham

Simple strategies for navigating scripture

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Christmas might be all packed away, but the search for ornaments on the tree may offer some strategies for navigating scripture.

Have you ever wondered how the Bible all fits together or how to find anything in it? Like locating each ornament on the tree, I’m all about understanding where to find content in the Bible. I think one of the biggest obstacles I faced when first trying to read it was how much time it took to find anything. Then when I did open it, many times the information felt a bit random. I didn’t know how it connected to the rest of the Bible.

As I was putting away Christmas ornaments, I saw similarities to scripture navigation which could prove useful.

All you have to do is find it

Most of the ornaments on our tree don’t have specific boxes they go in. Much of packing up Christmas is about making a space to store all of the holiday decorations. But some do have a specific box they go in, and a handful of those boxes have a picture of the ornament on the front so you know what’s supposed to go inside. Truth be told, those are the easiest ornaments to put away, because a particular ornament goes into a specific box – all you have to do is find the ornament on the tree.

Search becomes a treasure hunt

With the picture on the front of the box, you know what you’re looking for. Now the fun begins as the search becomes a treasure hunt.

I’ve seen that before

Next comes, “I know I’ve seen that somewhere before,” and you try to remember where on the tree you recall having seen the ornament nestled in among the fir branches, lights, and garland.

Sometimes I’ll remember I saw it when I was sitting on the couch looking at the tree, which helps narrow the search area.

How I find it

During the search one of several things generally happens:

I find the ornament right away.

I realize when and approximately where on the tree I remembered catching a glimpse of it.

I do a grand sweep of the whole tree (which rarely unearths the sought-after object).

My husband finds it, but that’s only if I let him know what I’m searching for.

I momentarily stop looking and find a box for another ornament. Eventually the one I was looking for appears.

The process

This year while engrossed in this process, which in some ways is like a game, I noted the similarities to navigating scripture, whether looking for Jesus or another connecting point in the Bible.

Sometimes Jesus’ presence in scripture is obvious, like in the Gospels when He’s with His disciples, and all those red letters highlighting what Jesus said if your Bible references Jesus’ words in red.

Other times His appearance or what I’m looking for isn’t obvious, but I’ll remember that it’s somewhere in the vicinity of or related to another story or passage I’m familiar with.

In other instances, I think about where and when I saw a particular scripture reference last.

What else was I reading at the time?

What other aspect of a passage of scripture do I remember?

Storyline

For example, the book of 1 Samuel begins with Samuel’s mother Hannah, hoping desperately for a child. Her fervent prayers are answered in her son Samuel who grows up to be a servant of God. He anoints the people’s king, Saul and eventually God’s choice for king, David. If we remember Samuel’s role in God appointing a ruler, we have clues to place people like Saul and David in the line up to help us find their stories in the Bible.

Other times I’ll release the search, keeping the concept I’m looking for in the back of my mind, knowing the Holy Spirit will catch my attention at the right time.

Name recognition

Genesis is another great place to establish some name recognition. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are a multigenerational trio that shows up throughout the Bible. Their storylines start in Genesis, but they continue to be mentioned from Exodus into the New Testament. Remembering these three goes a long way to keep us in the know as we read and see them reappear in various places in scripture.

Also, when we see something like “city of David” we can remember that’s connected to the David mentioned in the book of Samuel.

Connecting concepts

Leviticus holds some of the biggest treasure in the Bible, but for now, we’ll just focus on the offerings. In this third book of the Bible, we read about several different types of offerings. Just remembering the reference to these offerings in Leviticus goes a long way toward connecting other concepts in scripture.

Grand sweep

The grand sweep. This works well if you have a Bible with subheadings. It’s also helpful if you’re getting your bearings. You can skim the contents of a few books of the Bible, like all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, located at the front of the New Testament. A skim of the beginning of these four books of the Bible helped me find the missing manger. I also began to notice the similarities and differences between the Gospels, noting which stories and aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry are covered in each.

A quick view of the Bible

Another way to get your bearings is with a quick overview of the entire Bible. If you’re not sure how to go about approaching the Bible, I have a handy quick view of the Bible. It’s a tri-fold brochure that doubles as a bookmark, offering a quick overview of the whole Bible.

Bible quick view

What’s important is to simply start the process of looking. You’d be amazed at what you’ll find.

So next time you open your Bible, begin your search.

The trouble of reading the Bible and one possible reason we don’t

Piano books and Bible books – an easy way to learn

Two things that kept me from reading the Bible – and what changed my tune

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the significance of what’s in a name

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, three names that show up as a unit in several places in Scripture. But who are they and why does it matter? Find out what they have in common as we take a look at what’s in a name.

Who are they?

Who are these guys? Am I supposed to know them? It’s kind of like when a friend points out someone they recognize at a party. Should I know that person?

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Once in church when I heard someone reciting Scripture, these three names came up. As the person read through the phrase, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” I was a bit puzzled.  

The pronouncement came across like, naturally everybody knows who these guys are. And I’m sure that’s not how the speaker meant it, but I wanted to ask someone later, “Do you know who those guys are?”

That turned into, “Should I know who they are?” and quickly spiraled down to, “How come I don’t know who they are?”

So let’s get a little context shall we?

We find their names clustered together in various places in Scripture. We’ll start with some New Testament appearances.

New Testament references

In the New Testament this trio turns up in a few of the Gospels and in Acts.

We can learn crucial info about them based on where this info resides.

Genealogies

Both Matthew and Luke (3:34) include genealogies in their chapters. This tells us the relationship between the men.

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,” Matthew 1:1-2 NIV

Okay, so now we know they’re all related, father, son, and grandson.

We also see they are related to Jesus. Okay, so maybe they are important.

More references in the Gospels

How about Mark’s Gospel:

“Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” Mark 12:26 NIV

In this passage, Mark’s Gospel gives us a bit of insight as to where this cluster appears by name in the Old Testament. Don’t let the term “Book of Moses” throw you off, that’s a shout-out to Moses’ encounter with God in the form of a burning bush. That event is recounted in Exodus where you’ll find the story of Moses and the Israelites.

Luke 20:37 also references this event.

Mentioned in Acts

Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, mentions them in the book of Acts.

“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Acts 3:13a

Did you notice the subtle difference in the Gospel rendition and the passage in Acts?

In Acts, Peter identifies God with all three. In the Gospel excerpt, God identifies Himself with this trio. These three members of the same family line – which includes Jesus.

Stories in Old Testament

Now let’s find their stories in the Old Testament. Mark 12:26 mentions Moses, leading us to the Old Testament. This recounting includes the three together, but is not where we find Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, originally.

How do we figure out where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, first show up in the Bible?

I’ll give you a hint. Moses’ story begins in Exodus.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, came before Moses.

We find their stories in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Who they are

Wow, think about that for a minute. Three characters whose stories began in the first book of the Bible are called by name in the New Testament. Not to mention God refers to them by name when identifying Himself to Moses.

Let’s track down a few more details about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Abraham, father of many nations

Abraham, initially known as Abram, is first mentioned in Genesis 11, but his story takes off in chapter 12. God changes his name in chapter 17.

“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” Genesis 17:5 NIV

Their stories in Genesis

From the first mention of Abram in Genesis, this family line fills most of this first book of the Bible.

Much of this section of Scripture reads as story and covers a narrative of what happened. If you haven’t read Genesis yet, you can start by skimming the rest of Genesis looking for the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as you read.

Knowing the origin of these names and their stories provides much insight for many other places in Scripture. When we know what’s in a name, we can grasp a bigger picture of what’s in the Bible.

For a simple overview of Genesis:

Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey