A Pocket Guide to the Bible

Getting to Know the Bible

The Bible is a bit like the works of Shakespeare. Everyone knows of it, and it’s always one of the things that is suggested that you might have with you on a desert island. The idea seems to be that you would have plenty of the time necessary to give it the attention that is its due as one of humankind’s classic literary accomplishments, and, quite honestly, most of us have the nagging sense that, even if we consider ourselves to be educated people, we don’t really know either the Bible or Shakespeare as well as we should. Fortunately for Shakespeare, however, the educational system usually gives us some exposure to him. Only passing glimpses of the Bible might have been engaged with during school life, though, and was anybody really listening?

Not a Novel

The Bible is not to be read from cover to cover like a novel. It doesn’t work like Jane Austen or Jackie Collins. If you’ve ever tried, you’ve probably ground to a halt somewhere in Exodus (the second book of the Old Testament) with all the long lists of laws. The word ‘Bible’ is from a Greek word meaning ‘books’. The Bible is a collection of 66 books that were written by different people at different times. If you went back in time, say before the start of the 1st century AD, a Bible would have filled a whole shelf or a huge box, for the books would have been on separate scrolls, rolled up. The book format that we know today was invented about the time of Jesus.

The books are different styles of literature, too; there are stories, historical lists, genealogies, law codes, poems, hymns and a powerful style called prophecy. The writings are not only spiritual thoughts and moral guidance; there are all sorts of things in there. It is not a book (or books) of pure enlightenment with lists of wise sayings by someone like a Zen master. We need a guide to find our way through the Bible, such as a handbook to the Bible, or a commentary on a particular book, that will provide all sorts of background information. This little book is to slip into your pocket to dip into as you wish. It gives a brief synopsis of the major features and stories of each book of the Bible, and a few key things to think about.

In Two Parts

The first thing to grasp about Bible reading is that the Bible falls into two sections, a Part One and a Part Two – what Christians refer to as the Old and New Testaments. Christians believe that Part One is a preparation for Jesus, and Part Two is about him and what happened after he came. That preparation took over a thousand years and traces the development of the faith of the Hebrews from very early and primitive beginnings until they had more sublime and enlightened thoughts about God and how we should treat one another. (The New Testament, in contrast, was put together over about 70 years!) The long preparation goes some way to explain why there are some things in there that seem to be odd or even cruel in the early parts of the Scriptures. It is a bit like in Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001, A Space Odyssey, where an advanced alien race communicates with developing humans in stages, imparting knowledge little by little until they are ready to handle it. There is a progressive revelation, a gradual unveiling of what God is really like. Christians believe that what we see in the life of Jesus is what God really is about, though much light shines in the Old Testament writings, too – particularly in the great prophets and later writings.

There is a sense, too, among Christians, that in the earlier days God was working from a different angle, sometimes almost at arm’s length. This was pre-Jesus, and before his death on the cross that allowed people to know forgiveness and to draw near. The Hebrews had all sorts of sacrifices to help them cover up their sins temporarily. There are mercy and compassion expressed in the Old Testament, but they come to perfect fruition in Jesus.

Testaments and Covenants

The terms ‘Old Testament’ and ‘New Testament’ need some translating. A ‘testament’ suggests a solemn oath, a written pledge that something will be so, like a ‘Last Will and Testament’. The term is a translation of Hebrew and Greek words that also can mean ‘covenant’. This, in the ancient world, was a binding agreement between two parties, often involving the ritual slaughter of animals to seal it in blood. Moses instituted the old covenant with its animal sacrifices and altars, as well as the moral code that God expected his people to follow, the Ten Commandments. But there was an older covenant recorded in the Bible, one with Abraham, an ancestor of Moses. Abraham’s covenant was one of promise – all the nations would be blessed through his offspring. Christians believe that this promise was fulfilled in Jesus, the promised messiah, and the old ritual of Moses was brought to an end.

‘Messiah’ is a word that means ‘anointed one’ or ‘chosen one’. It was used for the Israelite kings, who were anointed with holy oil and blessed by God. However, the Old Testament looked forward to the coming of a special, holy king, and Christians believe that this king was Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus brought a new covenant, sealed with his own blood shed upon the cross. He shows us that God is bound to his creation, to you and to me, for all time, by having become one of us and having suffered for us.

Looking for Jesus in the Old Testament

If the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament were a preparation for Jesus, then there should be all sorts of hints and clues about his coming in them. Many think that there are, though some are rather indirect and can only be applied to him with hindsight. Each section of the Old Testament has something about Jesus in it – a verse, image or idea that Christians have seen as being fulfilled by him or as prefiguring him. Jesus set the precedent for this, himself: after rising from the dead, he walked with two disciples to Emmaus. In conversation, he opened the Scriptures to them and taught them how so many spoke of him, from Moses to the prophets (see Luke 24:25–32).

Some Old Testament passages are seen as directly predicting Jesus, such as Isaiah 7:14 about a virgin conceiving. Others are more indirect, being symbols and details that can be given a Christian meaning. Thus, a woman hangs a red cord from her window to show that her house is safe from attack (Joshua 2:17–21). The red suggests the blood of Christ and the salvation that comes from him. These symbols are known as types of Christ, not direct prophecies but indirect hints and associations with him and the work of God the Father through him.

In some books of the Old Testament there are no particular prophecies or types. Instead, there are general themes or ideas that Christians believe were summed up in Jesus, such as the righteous and faithful teacher of the Law.

In summary, there are three levels of speaking about Jesus in the Hebrew Bible:

Direct prophecies

Types (symbols that can be linked to Jesus)

General themes that were fulfilled in his life completely.

Inspired?

Christians speak of the Bible as being ‘inspired’ or as ‘the Word of God’. There are many different interpretations of this – some see certain Bible passages, such as the creation stories, as symbolic, and some see them as literal. Some argue that there are no faults at all in the Scriptures, even in things to do with geography or history or science. Others would hold this idea of inerrancy only for spiritual matters. In this book we shall generally pass over these debates, as well as difficulties with the interpretation of some passages, and what archaeology might or might not show at times. For a deeper study, consult the bigger handbooks or commentaries.

What Do We Make of Miracles?

There are a number of miracle stories or amazing events in the Bible, whether things like healings or the Red Sea waters parting. People have different ideas about and interpretations of these, ranging from a full-blown belief in divine, supernatural intervention, to God working through natural events and forces that were not understood then. (For more information, please see the appendix at the end of the book.) What all can agree upon is that when the presence of God is involved, all sorts of forces might come into play to bring blessing.

On a Personal Level

What we can say is that God speaks through the pages of the Bible – that, however he does it, his Word comes alive and hits our hearts. There is something very sacred and special about the collection, or canon, of books that the early church accepted as being divinely inspired. Despite difficulties with some passages, the collection is sacramental – human words convey a spiritual blessing. The only way to find this out is to experience it; read prayerfully and bathe in God’s Word. The apostle Paul even spoke of being washed by the Word (Ephesians 5:26), and there is a sense of peace, of refreshing, of guidance and of even changing the patterns of how we think about some issues (what, in Bible-speak, is called ‘the renewing of the mind’). Nowadays we look for all sorts of alternative therapies to help us focus and relax – but what better way than devotional reading of the Bible? The Scriptures contain something alive and active. As the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews put it:

‘For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’

Hebrews 4:12

How to Use this Book

Either use this little book as a sampler of the Bible or as a way to devotedly and consistently work through it. Dip into a section here and there and use the guidance notes, or, if you prefer, start at Genesis and work through, week by week, until you reach Revelation. Using this book won’t make you a biblical expert overnight, but it will give you a clear overview. You will end up with a broad picture that, I hope, you will find useful and enlightening.

Introduction to the Law

The books of Moses, the first five books of the Old Testament, are known as the Torah – the ‘Law’ or the ‘Way’. For Jews, it was and still is a divine Highway Code through life. These are the most sacred books of the Hebrew Scriptures, and synagogues have them written out on traditional scrolls. These are brought out of a central container and carried about in a procession with great reverence.

There are a number of questions and points to consider before plunging into each book. The five books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Genesis is full of stories of creation and early ancestors and is not really about laws and commandments. These are to be found in the other four books of the Torah, and they number, according to traditional Jewish scholarship, 613 commandments in total. Some are ethical (dealing with behaviour between people or in society) and some are ritual commandments. There are stories about Moses and the early Hebrews in these other four books, but there are often long collections of laws. They are more like reference books.

Olden Days?

Some of the old laws seem antiquated, dealing with early farming community issues such as oxen that wander into a neighbour’s fields. Many of the ritual laws concern what to eat or not to eat, such as pork or shellfish. Others are concerned with the type of sacrifice that should be offered at different festivals or to atone for various sins; who should eat the flesh of the animal, if anyone at all; what should be done with the fat; and where one should put the blood. However, the ethical commandments still resonate today, such as the Ten Commandments or the command to ‘love your neighbour as yourself ’ (see Exodus 20:1–17 and Leviticus 19:9–18), cited by Jesus as one of the two most important of all the laws.

What Do We Make of the Old Laws?

In modern times, the Jewish community debates what sense to make of the old laws. More liberal Jews think some laws are antiquated and can be relaxed, while more traditional Jews take them all as divine and eternal. The church teaches that Jesus set aside the ritual laws, but the ethical ones are still binding. The idea is that the Torah was a preparation for Christ, a pointer, offering rituals and practices that taught people about the reality of sin, the costliness of forgiveness and the need to approach God in holiness. The apostle Paul described the Torah as a ‘schoolmaster’ preparing the way of Christ (Galatians 3:24–25). The writer of Hebrews says:

‘The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves…’

Hebrews 10:1

Christians believe that Jesus offered perfect obedience in his life, perfect worship, and gave his life in a once-for-all perfect sacrifice for sin. Thus, the old rituals are redundant; now we live by grace, because of the cross and what God has done for us. This is all set out and explained in Hebrews, with the core and conclusion of the argument being in chapter ten. In the New Testament, all foods are declared clean and such religious taboos are done away with (see Mark 7:14–23 and Acts 10:9–15).

Did Moses Write the Whole Torah?

Scholars debate which parts could have been from Moses and which were collections of earlier stories and later laws added on by the early Hebrews. Also, many details could have been passed on orally before being written by later scribes, which may explain why some scholars discern the hands of various editors at work from different times; a commentary can give more details. Most agree that Moses must have had a hand in the Torah to some extent. The tradition of his involvement would not have come from nowhere, and as a former member of the Egyptian royal court, he would have been literate. It should be noted, too, that similar codes of law can be found from ancient Babylon, for example, many years before Moses would have been born. However the books were finally assembled, it is their message that counts. The stories in the Torah, though sometimes odd and primitive sounding, can be full of ethical and spiritual insights, especially if read in the light of Jesus’ life and works.

Genesis

‘Genesis’ means ‘beginnings’. The book is in two basic sections, chapters 1–11 and 12–50. The first section deals with prehistory, stories from the mists of time about the creation of the world and the early ancestors. The second section deals with the stories of the Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They have their failings, but God works on them and with them. This book sets the stage for all that is to follow