Alternative Bible Studies

I'll be honest, due to my eye strain, this year had been a little rough in the Bible reading department; I haven't neglected my Bible – intake as I've really been into the audio Bible but actual reading/studying has been a challenge. In previous years I've done intensive studies: topical, historical, etc but this year has been different…

There's been several people that I know of that are just tired of reading the Bible in the same order, the same way so here's three ways to read/consume it differently:

Audio Bible

Like I've said before, I love the audio Bible, it's great for tedious books like Leviticus & Numbers but it's also great for the New Testament letters; there's something about hearing a letter all the way through without the chapter/verse breaks, there's a certain flow when someone reads it out loud & you can hear the author's heart in it.

Some people take a break from reading & listen to the Bible all the way through, others alternate reading then listening to every other book (for example: read I Samuel, listen to II Samuel, read I Kings listen to II Kings, read I Chronicles listen to II Chronicles, etc). If it's a longer book, sometimes I'll listen to it & read the short ones like Esther, Ruth, Jonah, Amos, Philemon, Jude etc to give my eyes a break.

Topical Studies

I spent a couple of years doing simply topical studies & the topics could be anything, like:

Praise/Worship

Love/Grace/Mercy

Faith/Hope/Trust

Marriage

Prayer

Holiness

Obedience

Just pick a topic & study it for a month or two; the same can go for any of the NT books/letters, spend 3 months studying Romans, read every commentary on it you can get your hands on, take your time, don't be in a hurry, let God reveal Himself to you… Do Hebrew & Greek word studies. I know this sounds overwhelming but believe me, it's something different & it's worth it.  

Chronological

Chronological is reading the Bible in the order the events occurred. I did this one time & it was really good, but I'm going to do it again probably starting around Labor Day 2019.

You can find a Bible timeline on several websites & go from there; there's also Chronological Bibles & chronological study guides to give you a jump start on this.

For example, you could start off reading:

John 1:1-3

Genesis 1 – 11 

Job

Genesis 12 – 50  

Exodus

Leviticus (audio)

Numbers 1-15 

Psalm of Moses: Psalm 90

Numbers 15 – 36

Deuteronomy (audio)

Psalm 91

There's always been a question as to exactly when Job took place but many historians place him in the patriarchal period so break up Genesis by reading Job in the middle of it. 

Imagine David hiding in this very spot in the cave of Adullam w/ a bunch of sweaty people, imagine the noise, the activity, the smell...

When you get to I Samuel 17 & the account of David & Goliath, go outside & mark a tree at 9 feet, 6 inches (the generally accepted height of Goliath). Read the account outside, stand 20, 30, 60, 100 feet away & look at the mark on the tree, imagine yourself w/ the sling aiming for that mark where Goliath's head was... 

After II Samuel 12 & the account of Bathsheba, read the 51st Psalm, the one of David's lament while the event is fresh in your mind; other examples of marrying I & II Samuel w/ the corresponding Psalms:

I Samuel 19:11/Psalm 59

I Samuel 21:11/Psalm 56

I Samuel 21:13/Psalm 34

I Samuel 22:1/Psalm 142

I Samuel 22:9/Psalm 52

I Samuel 23:19/Psalm 54

I Samuel 24:3/Psalm 57

II Samuel 8:13/Psalm 60

II Samuel 15:16/Psalm 3

II Samuel 15:23/Psalm 63

II Samuel 16:5/Psalm 7

II Samuel 22:2 – 51/Psalm 18 

II Kings 14:23-29 gives context to the Book of Amos, so pause & listen to/read Amos, then continue in II Kings. Personally, I like to read the historical books & listen to the OT prophets, it breaks things up & it's like hearing them as the people did.

When you read of Solomon building the Temple, find some artist's rendering of it, take a good look at all the work that went into it…

As for Jonah, study pictures of Joppa (modern day Tel Aviv-Jaffa) & research the history of Nineveh, built by Asher as recorded in Genesis 10:11. Picture Jonah walking up this path, nervous as he prepares to prophesy to the people...

Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther & Malachi were generally accepted to be contemporaries of each other, so try reading:

Ezra 1 – 6

Esther

Ezra 7 – 10

Nehemiah 1 – 12

Malachi

Nehemiah 13

Some historians say Malachi ministered between Nehemiah's visits as he addressed many of the same issues that Nehemiah faced. Growing up, I had always believed Malachi was the last living prophet/minister of his time, outliving everyone & that he was all alone but knowing he lived & prophesied in roughly the same time period/place as Ezra & Nehemiah changes things…

When reading Nehemiah, bring up some pictures of the different Gates in Jerusalem, look at a map of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's time, study it, study the pictures, imagine the men working on the walls & the gates…

Do a little research on the Prophets, find when & where they ministered, who they were primarily talking to & where they fit in Bible & world history, who they were contemporaries of.

Ezekial is a very interesting book, compare artist's rendering of the Wheel he saw (be warned, some are far out & others get into the ancient astronaut theory so don't get sidetracked). 

If you're a musician, sing the Psalms. Sit at a piano or grab a guitar w/ several translations of any Psalm in front of you & sing it as you play, pick any chord progression & go at it. 

When you finish the Old Testament, take a few days & read about World History from 400 BC to Christ, take a look at Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and how the world was changing in those 400 years, then skip the Gospels, seriously (not that I'm discounting the Gospels at all, you can either read the Gospels right away or) try something new, like:

Acts 1 – Acts 11:30

Gospel of Matthew

Acts 12 – 18:22

I & II Thessalonians (audio)

Acts 18:23 – 21:17 

I Corinthians

Galatians (audio)

II Corinthians

Romans (audio)

Gospel of Luke

Acts 21:18 – Acts 28:31

Ephesians (audio)

Philippians

Colossians 

Philemon (audio)

James 

I Peter 

Hebrews (audio)

I Timothy

Titus

Gospel of Mark

II Peter (audio)

II Timothy

Jude

Gospel of John

I John, II John & III John (audio)

Revelation

Don't always read the Bible in the same room in your home or apartment; I know there's not many options in the Winter but read it in different rooms, in front of the fireplace, etc. In the Summer, have devotions on your deck, in your gazebo, in the park, on the beach. There's been several times I've gotten up before sunrise & gone to the beach, sitting on the shore meditating on some Psalm & praying, listening to the waves lap & watching the sunrise; it's a great way to start the day. 

When you read Revelation, find a map & locate the island of Patmos (above), look at pictures of the island & how desolate it is in places, imagine John writing there. Just like Solomon's Temple & Ezekial's Wheel, find some artist's rendering of the New Jerusalem & there are plenty!

Find as many maps as you can of ancient Bible lands, trace the route of the Exodus as you read the account, find the various mountains & cities mentioned, look at pictures of Mt. Sinai...

Trace the life of David on a map, trace the missionary journeys of Paul, trace the life/ministry of Jesus in Bethlehem, in Galilee, in Jerusalem, find pictures of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed His heart out... 

Little changes like these can make the Bible fresh again to you, punctuating the New Testament w/ the Gospels can bring you a new perspective & reading the letters during some of Paul's journey's can make them much more relevant & meaningful.

Doing anything different takes some effort but just start, you might find new life breathed into your devotions.