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A more interesting approach into the OT?

D

Dave...

Member
Can't seem to get interested in the Old Testament? Try this...

There was a man named Solomon, a king, who had a heart for his people. God offered him a choice of blessing and Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge so that as a ruler his people, they would prosper. God was so pleased with this unselfish answer, that He blessed Solomon with his request and much more.

II Chronicles 1:11-12 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”

Solomon, in his life, had it all, and in abundance. Power, wealth and renowned wisdom. He set out on a quest to find what I would call, the best 'blueprint for life'. Happiness. He had the resources to test all that life had to offer to it's very limits, and did. He held nothing back from himself, experiencing all that his heart desired, even sin...

At the end of his life, he wrote the conclusions that he had come to. It's called the book of Ecclesiasts in the OT. It's only twelve chapters and is as relevant today as it was when it was written. This is real wisdom. You'll need to read it to find out what he observed and finish it to find out the conclusions that he came to.

NKJV Ecclesiasts Just click on the chapter.
www.biblestudytools.com

Book of Ecclesiastes NKJV - The New King James Bible Online

Read the Book of Ecclesiastes in the New King James Version (NKJV) Bible online. Browse chapters and read a summary and background of the Book of Ecclesiastes NKJV. Use our Bible study tools to dive deeper into scripture.
www.biblestudytools.com www.biblestudytools.com

As a side note. A very popular sixties song by a band called the byrds wrote a song called "Turn! turn! turn!" that used the beginning of chapter three as lyrics for that songs. You'll have to look it up on the internet it if you want to hear it.

Give it a try, I think that you'll like it.

Dave
 
Don't read it as a religious book, but as a history book about anthropology. There's a consistent narrative throughout the whole bible about the creation, fall, redemption and glorification of humanity, timeless truth and wisdom which you won't get from anywhere else.

One simple example: Gen. 2:24 - "therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." If you listen to a typical sermon or talk with an average Christian on that, they'll just tell you that this is about God's design of marriage and family, some take it as an order as they believe that you must get married and stay married, if you don't you're condemned and you go to hell. That's a wrong way to read it, because when Paul quoted it in 1 Cor. 6:16, he was talking about prostitution. By having sex with a prostitute, you become one flesh with her, even if you don't know anything about her. So indeed, this verse does cover marraige, the first human institution ordained by God, but it's not limited to that, there's much more depth. If you think about it, your natural hormones drive you away from your parents and toward your potential mate, and you build your own family instead of clinging to your parents forever, you and your spouse are now a new family unit. That's a descriptive fact, a societal norm in all human cultures, humans are programmed by God to act in this way, whether they know God or not.
 
In the beginning through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Without the beginning there can be no end.

Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

God spoke His word from the beginning to the ending of our time here on earth as every chapter is omnipresent of God's sovereignty that we are to live a life of faith consistent to what God has commanded us to be Holy and without blame.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
 
Dave... said:
As a side note. A very popular sixties song by a band called the byrds wrote a song called "Turn! turn! turn!" that used the beginning of chapter three as lyrics for that songs. You'll have to look it up on the internet it if you want to hear it.
Click to expand...
Actually the song was written by folk singer Pete Seeger in 1959.
The Byrds version was a cover. Seeger took the lyrics directly from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 - King James Version.
 
D-D-W said:
Actually the song was written by folk singer Pete Seeger in 1959.
The Byrds version was a cover. Seeger took the lyrics directly from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 - King James Version.
Click to expand...

That was interesting. :cool They used to call things like that traditional, in other words, nobody owns them. Many of the old hymns are traditional. If you look for the credit, they often say anonymous. They wanted God to have all the glory and refused to take money for them. I always thought that was incredible compared to how it is today.

Dave
 
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