Three Cheers for the Bible, Part 1

Important things in the Bible are often grouped in threes. (A fascinating account of these can be found here.) This article, therefore, begins a three part series on my love of God’s word. Although the Bible can be divided in many ways and many parts, I will divide the blog series into the following three parts: Old Testament, Gospels, and Apostles’ Teachings. I hope you enjoy it with me! Let’s begin with the first part—the Old Testament.

One of the most common trios referenced in the Bible is the composition of the Hebrew scriptures. Before the New Testament was a thing, the Jews separated their holy scriptures into three parts, called the Tanakh, which is an acronym combining T, N, and K: Torah (law), Nevi’im (prophets) and Ketuvim (writings). These scrolls were instrumental in the ministry of Jesus and the early church, and they are just as important to us today.

When Jesus spoke about “the law and the prophets”, he was referring to the Tanakh. When Paul instructed Timothy to study and trust that “All Scripture is inspired by God,” he was also pointing to the Old Testament. Philip, the disciple, convinced his friend to follow Jesus based on the Hebrew scriptures. Although early Christian leaders re-organized them, we still have the same holy scriptures that Jesus had, thanks especially to our devoted and diligent church ancestors. For the sake of my “three” theme, I will use the ancient Tanakh ordering below.

Torah

“How I love your instruction!” David wrote of the Torah. (Ps 119:97) Do you enjoy Leviticus and Numbers as much as King David? We all have our favorite passages and books, and I love talking to people about why they favor certain parts of the Bible. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone tell me of their love for the long, soothing genealogies of Numbers. Perhaps, though, David was on to something that most of us still need to learn. I believe we should always challenge ourselves to read and meditate on the parts of the Bible that feel like an uphill climb, and some of the early books of the Bible often seem like a particularly steep climb. Let us give praise for the Torah like the heroes of faith before us.

Nevi’im

The Nevi’im, or the Prophets, contain a variety of amazing accounts, including Joshua to Kings and most of the prophets (sorry, Daniel, you’re later!) If you ask my teenage son his favorite book of the Bible, he’s going to tell you Judges because of the graphic violence. I, too, love the stories of God’s people trying and failing to live out their faith in a harsh, sinful world. They remind me of my Mondays. They also remind me of God’s “never-stopping, never-giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love.”

Ketuvim

Who doesn’t love the poetry of the Bible, or the wonderful stories of Ruth and Esther? Daniel, who gets to be part of the Ketuvim, or Writings, was my favorite Bible character for many years. That was until I dared to teach my small group from the book of Job. After wrestling with that difficult text for weeks, I began to see truths that hit my heart in a powerful way. I read passages from Job that filled me with skin-tingling joy and gratitude for a personal relationship with “my redeemer”. Because of that experience, Job remains my favorite book of the Bible to this day.

The Bible as a whole is a complex, beautiful, and sometimes mysterious compilation of ancient scrolls. Some of us are attracted to the practical teaching of the Epistles, while others find their comfort zone in the Psalms. What astounds me is how relevant and powerful the whole Bible is today, especially the Old Testament. I guess I shouldn’t be amazed, since it is God’s word!

I hope you find enjoyment in all of God’s word just like Jesus and the apostles did. I hope you see the revelation of Jesus in all its pages and marvel at the way our creator chose to speak to us in his infallible scriptures. If you need a little nudge in that direction, I recommend taking Dr. Miles Van Pelts’ Old Testament Survey, which is amazing, or catch a few Bible Project podcast episodes. Wonderful, insightful resources are free and available to all!

Looking forward to next month’s celebration of the gospels.