The Bible is a group of 66 books written by various authors over thousands of years: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Old Testament starts with the Creation, the fall of man, and Noah’s Ark. Additionally, it recounts God’s choosing Abram (later called Abraham) to begin a nation with His chosen people – also known as Jews, Hebrews, or the Israelites.
The Old Testament describes the rise of Israel only to fall when they neglect and disobey God. Prophets, kings, songs, and ordinary people such as Ruth, Job, and Esther tell the history of the chosen ones, and you will learn about these people as we progress through the Bible.
The New Testament contains the four Gospels, which include Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. The book of Acts and the epistles (letters) written by leaders of this newly formed faith portray the struggles and persecution the church endured. The last book (Revelation) foretells Jesus’ return to earth to rescue all of his followers, so that we may live on the New Earth (Heaven) with Jesus for eternity.
DEVOTION
You probably know how Noah built an ark for his family and the animals. The people on earth forgot about God and were evil, so God told Noah (a righteous man) he was going to send a flood to destroy the earth. He instructed Noah to build an ark; thus when God sent rain to flood the whole earth, Noah and his family were safe in the ark, along with every kind of animal.
When the flood was over God made a covenant (promise) to Noah and us! A rainbow in the clouds reminds us of God’s promise to never destroy the earth by a flood again.
And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth (Genesis 9:17 KJV).
The rainbow is only one of God’s promises. As we walk through the Bible together, we will learn about all God’s wonderful promises. Studying the Bible also increases our knowledge of God and teaches us how to live a holy and righteous life.
PRAYER
God, thank you for giving us the Bible so I can learn about you and your promises. Help me to understand Your word as I study the Bible. Amen.
