L4L – Reading the Old Testament

April 8 – June 3, 2018

Facilitated by Annabel Robinson

I’m basing this class partly on Craig Keener and John Walton’s book NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. There will also be references to his book The Lost World of Scripture. I plan to offer a background to the Old Testament, and a plan for reading it (optional). We’ll look at some of the things that make it difficult reading (and how to read them and understand them), a rough chronological outline that helps to show how it all fits together, and a discussion of some of its great themes. This is designed as a follow-up to the class on Richard Hays’ Echoes of Scripture and Reading Backwards, but if you didn’t attend that, and would like an introduction to the Old Testament, come anyway!

Background and Resources

• NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Intro by John Walton, John Walton Classroom Presentation, Video Overview on YouTube, Zondervan, ChristianBook.
• The Lost World of Scripture by John Walton.  Amazon, GoodReads, InterVarsity Press, Patheos, American Journal of Arts and Humanities, Bible Snippets, Sharper Iron
• Videos: John Walton, interview with the authors,
• Can We Trust the God Of Genocide? Christianity Today
• Week 1 Outline – April 8
• Week 2 Outline – April 15
• Week 3 Outline – April 22
• Week 4 Outline – April 29
• Week 5 Outline – May 6
• Week 6 Video – May 13
• Week 7 Outline – June 3
• This marks the end of this series.

Read the OT in 40 weeks

For anyone interested in joining us in reading it in 40 weeks, Annabel is leading a discussion every Tuesday evening at 7:00. You don’t have to attend Learning For Life. Jump in any time, and if you fall behind just cut your losses and keep going. The schedule is for 6 days a week, so there’s a chance to catch up on the 7th day. This would be ideal for anyone who has never read the Old Testament, or has questions about it, or . . . anything. Note: The daily Bible readings will continue through the entire 40 weeks with no summer break except for two weeks in June.
– Annabel

40 week reading schedule

Daily Bible Readings

Bible Readings by Week

1. Gen 1-11, Ps 8, 104, 12
2. Gen 12-29
3. Gen 30-5
4. Job 1-24
5. Job 25-42, Ps 19, 29
6. Ex 1-28
7. Ex 29-Lev 10
8. Lev 11-Num 5
9. Num 6-28, Ps 90, 95
10. Num 29-Deut 15
11. Deut 16-Josh 1-2, Ps 105
12. Josh 3-24, Judges 1
13. Judges 2-21, Ruth 1-4
14. 1 Sam 1-24, Ps 59, 91
15. 1 Sam 25-31, 1 Chron chapter 10, Ps 7, 27, 31, 34, 52, 56, 120, 140-142, 17, 73, 35, 54, 63,
    Ps 18, 121, 123-125, 128-130
16. 2 Sam 1-4, 1 Chron 1-6, Ps 6, 9, 10, 14, 16, 21, 43, 44, 49, 84, 85, 87, 36, 39, 77, 78
17. 1 Chron 7-16, 2 Sam 5-6, Ps 81, 88, 92, 93, 133, 15, 23, 24, 25, 47, 89, 96, 100, 101, 107
18. 2 Sam 7-12, 1 Chron 17-20, Ps 1, 2, 33, 127, 132, 20, 53, 60, 75, 65-67, 69, 70, 51, 32, 86, Ps 102, 103, 122
19. 2 Sam 13-23, Ps 3, 4, 13, 28, 55, 26, 40-41, 58, 61, 62, 64, 5, 38, 42, 57
20. 2 Sam 24, 1 Chron 21-29, Ps 97-99, 30, 108, 109, 131, 138, 139, 143-145, 68
21. 1 Ki 1-4, 2 Chron 1, SS 1-5:1, Ps 111-118, 37, 71, 94, 119, 72
22. SS 5:2-8:14, Prov 1-20, Ps 45
23. Prov 21-26, 1 Ki 5-9, 2 Chron 2-8, Ps 11, 134, 136, 146-150
24. Prov 27-31, Eccles 1-12, 1 Ki 10-14, 2 Chron 9-12
25. 1 Ki 15-2 Ki 4, 2 Chron 13-20
26. 2 Ki 5-15, 2 Chron 21-27, Jonah 1-4
27. Amos, Hosea, Is 1-4
28. Is 5-17, Micah 1-7, 2 Ki 16-17, 2 Chron 28
29. Is 18-37, 2 Ki 18-19:37, 2 Chron 29-32:23, Ps 48, 76
30. Is 38-58, 2 Ki 20:1-21, 2 Chron 32:24-33, Ps 46, 80, 135
31. Is 59-66, 2 Ki 21-23, 2 Chron 33-35
32. Habakkuk, Joel, Jeremiah 1-16
33. Jer 17-40, Ps 74, 79
34. 2 Ki 24-25, 2 Chron 36:1-21, Jer 52-51 (sic), Obadiah, Ps 82, 83, 137
35. Lamentations, Ezek 1-16
36. Ezek 17-40
37. Ezek 41-48, Daniel
38. 2 Chron 36:22-33, Ezra 1-6, Haggai, Zecharaiah, Esther 1-5
39. Esther 6-10, Malachi, Neh 1-10, Ps 50
40. Neh 11-13, Ps 126, 106