Why You Should Read the Bible Chronologically
I have more study Bibles than I can count. Not just study Bibles, I have so many different versions and styles. I love them. Anytime I see a new one, it’s so hard for me to not just pick it up. It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure, but the good kind that I shouldn’t feel guilty about.
In addition to personal Bible study, I am a firm believer in the importance of understanding the Bible historically and chronologically. It’s so important to be able to understand the context and how key pieces fit together. For example, knowing that Psalm 51 is David’s cry to God after being broken over his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah adds so much more potency to that earnest plea for forgiveness. And knowing the history of God’s people from Adam to Jesus makes Matthew 1 not a boring genealogy, it becomes an exciting reminder of how God has worked through so many lives to fulfill prophesy through Jesus.
That said, I’ve dabbled with chronological study Bibles before, but they haven’t really taken for me. Either I haven’t found a translation I liked, or I didn’t love the way it was organized. So I typically turn to external study to make sure I know exactly where a portion I’m reading fits. Things like Iva May’s 14 eras of the Bible can be a helpful resource for that.
Hailee finally found a chronological study Bible that really clicked with me recently, and I have grown to absolutely love it. It’s the CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible.
I really like the CSB version, especially when I’m trying to capture the broader strokes of the Scriptures (I’ll typically stick to ESV if I’m doing word studies and the like). Holman has done a great job balancing precision with readability and this makes CSB an incredible translation for something like a chronological study, when one of the main objectives is to understand the big picture.
Day By Day
The CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible is broken into bite-size daily reading chunks that guide you through the narrative. Here’s the beautiful thing: it doesn’t start on January 1st like so many of these types of resources. When you lock into a date structure like that, it’s so much easier to fall off the wagon because if you lose a few days, you’ll never motivate yourself to get back on track, so you shelf it.
This Bible simplifies it, by contrast. There are big sections simply labeled “Week 1”, “Week 2”, and so on, and inside of that, “Day 1”, “Day 2”, etc. This makes it much less intimating to pick up and read more.
Each day is also preceded by a short explanation to remind you of the context, as well as provide a little clarity for what you’re about to read. Most days also include a question or two to help guide your thoughts as you read through the day’s reading.
The Big Story
One element I find incredibly interesting is how the story of the Bible is told through a 3-act structure by the editor, George H. Guthrie. The 3-act structure is a common storytelling device and you’ll find it in most movies, TV shows, and books today.
You’ll have the first act, in which the main characters, conflict, and setting are introduced. Then the second act shows the tensions rising toward an inevitable breaking point. Finally, the third act reveals the conclusion and (hopefully) the happily ever after.
The narrative structure of the Bible can be understood very similarly. The first act is quite short, but incredibly important: we meet God and man, and discover there is a big problem. There is a division between God and man, called sin.
Act 2, which makes up most of the Old Testament is the story of that tension mounting for centuries as God continues to pursue His kids.
Finally, Act 3 brings us the stunning conclusion: God sent Jesus, God in the flesh, to bear our sin and bring us the salvation we didn’t deserve. Through His blood, the division from Act 1 is healed and we are brought back into direct relationship with God.
How powerful is that!
In the Day-by-Day Bible you’ll see this 3-act structure unfold through scenes as you read, and the big picture of the Bible will come alive in new and exciting ways each day.
Not Just What, but Why
It is important to know what the Bible says. I would say it’s vital to the life of a believer to know and understand the words that are in this amazing book. Equally important to a healthy understanding of Scripture is the “why”. We must study why the Bible says what it does to properly apply what it says.
For instance, why does the author of Hebrews reference Melchizedek at length? Well, that reference makes a lot more sense when we understand who Melchizedek was to Abraham all the way back in Genesis. And that’s just one example of countless ways to drill into the rich depths of Scripture by understanding more and more of the big picture.
If you struggle understand how the Bible all fits together as a whole, or have been interested in starting a chronological study, I couldn’t recommend this resource more.
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