Sample Pages from Exodus

Sample pages from Exodus of the reading journal from Volume 2: The Old Testament - The Law and The Prophets:

 

Sample Pages from Genesis

Sample pages from Genesis of the reading journal from Volume 2: The Old Testament - The Law and The Prophets:

 

Esther

The story of Esther fits between the first return of the Jews led by Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, and the second return under Ezra. It provided the only biblical record of the Israelites who had chosen to remain in Persia rather than returning to their promised land after the seventy-year captivity.

Although God was not mentioned in the book, Esther's story clearly shows that He was actively involved behind the scenes. On the surface, it appeared that different characters were at work, thinking or else scheming and bringing about the events that happened to the Jews residing throughout the regions of the vast empire. But God was in charge and working things out for His glory and the benefit of His people.

Esther was just a simple Jewess but rose to great prominence to become the new queen of the Persian king after the original was deposed for her contempt of the king's command. To be noticed and selected from a vast number of beauties through-out the empire was nothing short of a miracle—it was God's preparation and provision for a great peril ahead.

The chess pieces were in place to counter a genocide of ethnic proportion, and the first Jewish holocaust was averted because of the courage of Esther and the counsel of Mordecai.

4:14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Mordecai's words acknowledged a divine purpose in Esther's position, and is also a reminder to every believer to serve God's purpose by exercising his or her privilege and gifting for the good of their generation.

OUTLINE OF ESTHER

1. Feast of Ahasuerus (1:1-2:23)
Coronation of Esther
a. Queen Vashti deposed (1:1-22)
b. Esther crowned as new queen (2:1-20)
c. The king saved from murder plot (2:21-23)
2. Fast of Mordecai (3:1-4:17)
Persecution by Haman
a. Haman's rise and revenge (3:1-6)
b. The king's decree (3:7-15)
c. The Jews' response (4:1-17)
3. Feast of Esther (5:1-7:10)
Condemnation of Haman
a. Esther's first feast (5:1-8)
For the king and Haman
b. Haman's progressive downfall (5:9-6:14)
Secret plot | Self pride | Humiliation
c. Esther's second feast (7:1-10)
Against Haman
Revelation | Indictment | Judgment
4. Feast of Purim (8:1-9:32)
Commemoration of Deliverance
a. Mordecai promoted (8:1-6)
b. First decree countered (8:7-14)
c. Gentiles converted (8:15-17)
d. Jews delivered (9:1-16)
e. Purim celebrated (9:17-32)
Epilogue (10:1-3)

 

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes (Hebrew title, Qoheleth) is fourth in the Megillot (five scrolls) of the Ketuvim (Writings) section in the Tanakh. The author is introduced as 'son of David, king in Jerusalem' which many scholars believed refers to Solomon.*

The book essentially discusses the purpose and pursuit of life within the context of its brevity and inconsistencies. Having explored through observation and exhausted all explanation of what life is like under the sun, the author could only exclaim in exasperation that whatever mortal man does or accomplishes is but a vain show—futile, fleeting and frustrating—because the end for every man, wise or foolish, is the same—death.

And though 'the preacher' endorses wisdom as a necessity for a well-lived earthly life, he does not ascribe eternal value to it. In light of this senseless and temporal existence, one should simply enjoy life fully and take pleasure in one's work, which are ordained by the hand of God (2:24; 3:22).

Solomon was certainly more qualified than anyone to speak about life, since he had everything life could possibly offer—health, wealth, power, wisdom, and the freedom to do anything he ever wanted or could dream of. Yet he concluded that life in itself is completely empty and devoid of hope apart from God, notwithstanding the abundance and enjoyment it affords.

In the end, the fickleness of a life without God stands in sharp contrasted against a fulfilled life that is lived in the fear of the Lord, as the book puts forth the ultimatum:

12:13 Fear God and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of every living person.

* According to Jewish tradition, Solomon wrote Song of Songs in his youth, Proverbs in the prime of his life, and Ecclesiastes in his declining years.

OUTLINE OF ECCLESIASTES

1. Vanity of Vanities (1:1-18)
a. Declaration of life's vanities (1:1-11)
A vicious cycle | Nothing new under the sun
b. Personal experience (1:12-18)
Diligent search | Futility of wisdom
2. Vanity of Doing (2:1-26)
a. Indulging in life's pleasures (2:1-11)
Partying | Projects | Possessions
b. Despairing life's emptiness (2:12-26)
Same ending for the wise and foolish
3. Vanity of Having (3:1-6:12)
a. Predetermination of life (3:1-22)
Happenings | Circumstances | Retributions
b. Injustices in life (4:1-16)
Oppression | Labor | Popularity
c. Inadequacies of life (5:1-20)
Religion | Philosophy | Wealth
d. Unpredictability of life (6:1-12)
Property | Posterity | Perspective
4. Vanity of Being (7:1-9:18)
a. Wisdom better than folly (7:1-29)
b. Things beyond our control (8:1-9:6)
Government | God's doings | God's judgment
c. Live and let live (9:7-12)
d. Unreliability of human wisdom (9:13-18)
5. Counsel on Living Well (10:1-11:10)
a. Some wise observations (10:1-15)
b. Some wise advices (10:16-11:10)
6. Counsel on True Living (12:1-14)
a. Remember your Creator (12:1-8)
b. Fear God and obey Him (12:9-14)

 

Lamentations

Lamentations is an elegy on Jerusalem, a tear-stained portrait of the once proud city that was reduced to rubble and ashes by the Babylonian armies. In a five-poem dirge, Jeremiah laid bare his emotions over the desolation of his homeland.

Written in acrostic fashion like Psalm 119, each chapter begins with the first Hebrew alphabet and progresses verse by verse to the last as the distraught prophet wept from aleph to tav. Yet amidst the destruction and death, seemingly hopeless with no relief in sight, Jeremiah's unwavering faith in God's mercy and faithfulness turned a tragic sob into a triumphal song!

For forty years, Jeremiah suffered abuse and rejection at the hands of his own countrymen, as he tirelessly warned them of the impending divine judgment for their sins of apostasy and rebellion. When his prophecies finally came true, he could have sneered at the stubborn people reaping their just dues and said, "I told you so!" Instead, we see a compassionate prophet crying his tender heart out over the fall and devastation of the once proud city.

Jeremiah's five-part requiem reflects a broken man who was divinely commissioned to deliver a harsh message to a sinful and stiff-necked nation. The injustices this prophet endured for four decades is but a fleeting moment compared to what God had to put up with His people during the past centuries since the time of the divided kingdoms.

It might be difficult for us to grasp—that the grief of the Holy One of Israel was grafted upon Jeremiah—as He allowed the weeping prophet a glimpse of the pain and heartache the Most High suffered at the hands of His ungrateful and unrepentant people. If this experience had torn Jeremiah apart, it might be worth the intimacy of knowing firsthand the wounded heart of God in sharing His divine sorrow.

OUTLINE OF LAMENTATIONS

1. Jerusalem's Destruction (1:1-22)
Grief—a city in mourning
a. The lament of Jeremiah (1:1-11)
b. The lament of Jerusalem (1:12-22)
2. God's Anger (2:1-22)
Cause—a people punished
a. The anger of God (2:1-9)
b. The agony of Jerusalem (2:10-17)
c. The appeal of Jerusalem (2:18-22)
3. Prayer for Mercy (3:1-66)
Hope—a prophet intercedes
a. Cry of despair (3:1-18)
b. Confession of faith (3:19-39)
c. Condition of need (3:40-54)
d. Confidence in God (3:55-66)
4. Jerusalem's Siege (4:1-22)
Repentance—a kingdom in ruin
a. Condition during the siege (4:1-19)
b. Cause of the siege (4:11-20)
c. Consequences of the siege (4:21-22)
5. Prayer for Restoration (5:1-22)
Prayer—a nation repents
a. Reviewing the need for restoration (5:1-15)
b. Repenting from sin (5:16-18)
c. Requesting for restoration (5:19-22)

 

Ruth

The book of Ruth is one of two books in the Bible that is named after a woman. In a patriarchal society, this is remarkable—more so because Ruth was a poor Moabite widow!

In the midst of Israel's darkest and chaotic periods marked by immorality, idolatry and anarchy, the story of Ruth shone like a beacon with its heart-warming devotion and redemption that contrasted the widespread infidelity of God's people.

Though the author of Ruth was not identified, many scholars attributed it to the prophet Samuel, possibly because of the brief lineage of David up to his birth which, though Samuel did not live to see his coronation, was confident that God would instate the son of Jesse whom he anointed (1 Samuel 16:13).

Literary, Ruth is a beautiful love story of profound simplicity in filial love and piety, not only relationally by a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law, but cross-culturally between two persons of different nationalities and backgrounds.

Historically, Ruth bridges the gap between the roller-coaster cycles of the judges and the reformative challenges of Israel's monarchy, exuding the virtues of devotion and faithfulness in a time of apostasy and infidelity.

Theologically, Ruth brings out an important fact—salvation is not reserved just for God's chosen people alone, but as Peter acknowledged—anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to Him, regardless of race or nationalities.

Morally, Ruth is a bastion of integrity in interpersonal relationships as well as sanctity in marriages.

However simple the storyline, the book of Ruth is an immense treasury of spiritual and literary values.

OUTLINE OF RUTH

1. Love Demonstrated (1:1-2:23)
Ruth and Naomi
a. In the land of Moab (1:1-22)
Ruth's resolve—I will go with you
b. In the field of Boaz (2:1-23)
Ruth's request—Let me glean in your field
2. Love Rewarded (3:1-4:22)
Ruth and Boaz
a. In the threshing floor (3:1-18)
Ruth's redemption—Cover your handmaid
b. In the house of Boaz (4:1-22)
Ruth's reward—A son named Obed
 

Song of Solomon

Besides the story of Esther, Song of Solomon is the only other book in the Bible that does not mention the word 'God'. So why is it included in the inspired canon of scripture, when a cursory reading seems to suggest that it's a collection of love poems in prose and dialogue form?

The Hebrew title Shir Hashirim—Song of Songs—is superlative among the 1005 songs which Solomon wrote (1 Kings 4:32), despite the debates and contentions regarding its authorship. The name Solomon is mentioned seven times (1:1, 5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11-12) along with a lesser number of queens and concubines (6:8 vs 1 Kings 11:3) at the time this song was written.

While the original text provides no proper delineations to help readers distinguish who is speaking to whom throughout the book, it is not difficult to make out the voices of three parties involved, namely the beloved, the Shulamite girl, and a chorus of female attendees, aptly named 'the daughters of Jerusalem'. And like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, this divinely inspired romance piece is played out in stages, beginning with courtship and ending in the consummation of love in marriage.

In this age of sexual promiscuity and moral laxity, Song of Solomon is perhaps the best gift from God that exemplify the excellence of fidelity in love and marriage in which a man and woman celebrate their sexual intimacy and union. But much more than that, it depicts the mystery of the marriage relationship between Christ and His Bride, the Church, of which the songwriter Samuel John Stone wrote:

The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;

She is His new creation by water and the Word.

From heav'n he came and sought her to be his holy bride;

With his own blood he bought her and for her life he died.

Indeed—love divine, all loves exceling!

OUTLINE OF SONG OF SOLOMON

1. The Courtship of Love (1:1-5:1)

a. Act I—Falling in Love (1:1-2:7)

Shulamite girl in love

Inside the king's private chambers

Friends' response

Shulamite girl defends her look

Beloved's captivation

Mutual admiration

b. Act II—Longing in Love (2:8-3:5)

Beloved's visitation

Shulamite girl's hesitation

Search in desperation

c. Act III—Uniting in Love (3:6-5:1)

Beloved's true identity revealed

Beloved's expression of love

Beloved's marriage proposal

2. The Consummation of Love (5:2-8:14)

a. Act IV—Struggling in Love (5:2-6:3)

Missed opportunity

Shulamite girl's lovesickness

Friends' query

Shulamite girl's praise of her Beloved

b. Act V—Maturing in Love (6:4-8:14)

Beloved's desire for intimacy

Shulamite girl's acceptance

Shulamite girl's declaration of love

Friends' promise to protect

United in love—at last!

 

The Five Scrolls

The five scrolls, commonly known to Jews as the Megillot, is made up of Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther. These short books are also regarded as festival scrolls and read with cantillation (ritualistic chanting) during important festivals in Jewish synagogues.

Song of Solomon is read during Passover, the spring feast, as it has a spring setting (2:11-13) where love—like the flowers—is in full bloom.

The heartwarming story of Ruth, with its late spring theme, is usually read on Pentecost during the barley and wheat harvest period, known as the 'feast of weeks' or 'harvest of firstfruits' (Exodus 34:22).

Lamentations, attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, is read aloud on the fast of day nine in the month Ab, when Jews mourn the destruction of Solomon's temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC and the second temple by the Romans in 70 AD. Interestingly, both events occurred on the same date!

Ecclesiastes is read during the Feast of Tabernacles as a firm reminder that life is meaningless without God, just as Solomon found out the painful way despite being the wisest man ever to live and rule in a golden age of peace and prosperity.

Esther is read at the feast of Purim, a Jewish national holiday to commemorate great deliverance from genocidal annihilation. Though the word 'God' is not mentioned in this book, His fingerprint can be clearly seen as He intervened behind the scene in the history of the exiled nation.

Let us immerse ourselves in the exhilaration of love, sweetness of loyalty, sorrows of desolation, contemplation of life's futility, and wonder of divine provision and protection!

 

Job

Perhaps no other books in the Bible is more personal and yet perplexing in addressing questions that relate to suffering like Job's story. What is God like? Why does He allow suffering? How should we respond to trials or help those who are going through one? 

As a literary piece, the brief prologue and epilogue are written in prose while the rest of the book are in poetic form. From a theatrical standpoint, it seems to be a bet between God and Satan—Job being the unfortunate deck on which the cosmic gamble is played out. From a philosophical perspective, the debates between Job and his friends brought out the futility and limitations of human reasoning, secular wisdom, and even scholastic theology.

Job's friends meant well but their advices were more harmful than helpful to Job, and led to three cycles of theological debate over God's justice and mercy. Despite his bitter rantings, Job never repudiated his faith and trust in the LORD, and though he misunderstood God's mercy, it did not tarnish His name or nature. Conversely, Job's three friends oversimplified God's justice in view of the former's misfortune and as a consequence represented Him as the author of suffering. Theological truth spoken without compassion for the sufferer always distort the image of God.

The best and safest stance is that of Elihu's view—that there is no straight answer to the question of suffering, but anyone undergoing it ought to be humble and submit to God's process of purifying his life and faith through the crucible of fire.

Job could not see the why, but he knew the who and refused to let the present suffering cloud his mind and displace his focus. And he passed the test with flying colors. Indeed, the fear of the LORD is wisdom (Job 28:28).

OUTLINE OF JOB

1. Prologue (1:1-5)

Job's fortune | fame | faith

2. Dialogue in Heaven (1:6-2:10)

a. Satan's first accusation (1:6-22)

Job's wealth is taken away

b. Satan's second accusation (2:1-10)

Job's health is taken away

3. Dialogue on Earth (2:11-37:24)

Sympathy from Job's friends (2:11-13)

Squabbles with Job's friends (3:1-37:24)

Job broke his silence (3:1-26)

a. First cycle of debate (4:1-14:22)

Eliphaz vs Job | Bildad vs Job | Zophar vs Job

b. Second cycle of debate (15:1-21:34)

Eliphaz vs Job | Bildad vs Job | Zophar vs Job

c. Third cycle of debate (22:1-26:14)

Eliphaz vs Job | Bildad vs Job

Job's final defense (27:1-31:48)

Elihu's Rebuttals (32:1-37:24)

First | Second | Third | Conclusion

4. Dialogue with God (38:1-42:17)

a. First cycle of Q&A (38:1-40:5)

God questions Job regarding creation

Job's first reply—admits ignorance | insignificance

b. Second cycle of Q&A (40:6-42:6)

God challenges Job to take on the champions

of His creation: behemoth | leviathan

Job's second reply—humility | repentance 

5. Epilogue (42:7-17)

Job's friends reprimanded

Job's fortune restored

 

Proverbs

The book of Proverbs contains an assortment of wise sayings mainly by king Solomon and a few anonymous, with the last two chapters attributed to Agur and king Lemuel, respectively.

A proverb is a concise statement that expresses a certain truth. In Hebrew form, it usually takes on a poetic prose using the following parallelism structures:

 synonymous—the second line repeats the thought of the first using similar words or ideas (1:2)

 antithetic—the second line reinforces the first by stating the opposite (10:1)

 synthetic—the second line completes the first (3:6)

 climatic—the second line takes up the same words as the first with the exception of the last word (31:4)

 emblematic—one line conveys the main thought and the other illustrates (25:25)

 formal—two dissimilar thoughts are joined in parallel expression (15:33)

Wisdom (Hebrew, hokhmah) is more than just shrewdness or intelligence; it is the ability to make good judgments and take decisive actions based on sound moral values that leads to the practical outworking of righteous living. No wonder the queen of Sheba was completely overwhelmed by Solomon when she came all the way from the east to test him with hard questions (1 Kings 10:1-9).

There is an eternal perspective in Proverbs that is often missed (see 12:28; 14:32; 23:17-18). Not all of the promises or truths will be fulfilled in this life—but they WILL be made good in the end when God sets the record straight!

12:28 In the way of righteousness is life; and in the path way thereof there is no death.

OUTLINE OF PROVERBS

1. The Virtues of Wisdom (1-9)

a. Threefold 'My Son' Instructions (1:1-19)

b. The Call of Wisdom (1:20-33)

c. Seeking Wisdom

'Aleph' Section (2:1-11)

'Lamed' Section (2:12-22)

d. Wise Living (3:1-35)

e. Avoiding Evil (4:1-22)

f. Adultery vs Fidelity (5:1-23)

g. Surety | Sloth | Seduction (6:1-7:27)

h. Wisdom vs Folly (8:1-9:18)

2. The Proverbs of Solomon (10-22:16)

a. The Godly vs The Wicked (10:1-15:33)

b. On Godly Living (16:1-22:16)

3. The Sayings of the Wise (22:17-24:34)

a. Wise words by Anonymous Writers

b. Redeemer hinted (23:11)

4. Proverbs Collated by Hezekiah (25-29)

a. Regulating Relationships (25:1-26:28)

Kings | Neighbors | Enemies | Self

Fools | Sluggards | Gossips

b. Handling Circumstances (27:1-27)

c. Manual for Future Monarchs (28:1-29:27)

5. The Words of Agur (30:1-33)

a. God's Son hinted (30:4)

b. Three-plus-four emphases (six clusters)

6. The Words of King Lemuel (31:1-31)

a. A mother's advice—Avoid evil; do good (31:1-9)

b. The excellent wife (31:10-31)