Through the first quarter of this year, I taught an Old Testament Survey course at my church for the first time in my ministry. While I had done chronological overviews of the Old Testament before (and several New Testament Surveys), I had never gone book-by-book through this section of Scripture, and I am so glad I took the time finally to research and prepare this study!
Because I will likely be writing brief reviews of several of the other resources I used in preparing my lessons, I should note that my method of teaching this Old Testament Survey differed from all of the books I read. I am a strong proponent of encouraging students to read the Bible chronologically if not merely to get a better, more systematic grasp on the unfolding story, then at least to buck tradition that suggests the only way to read the Bible correctly is cover-to-cover.
How many well-intentioned Christians has that Bible-reading approach discouraged over the centuries? Everyone who tries it is gung-ho through Genesis and Exodus, and they may even fight their way through Leviticus and Numbers. But once they realize that 1&2 Chronicles are almost repeats of 1&2 Kings (without knowing why), they figure they can lay off the reading for a while, and before you know it, their “Read through the Bible in a Year” plan is down the drain. It’s December already, and of the people I know who have tried such an approach this year, only the strongest have survived.
In fact, despite the massive help that a chronological study plan has been to Bible students everywhere, I have yet to find a Bible Survey book that presents the biblical accounts in chronological order, yet with the same categorized information offered within a study guide. Certainly there are “The Story of the Bible” type books that read like a novel, or books like The Drama of Scripture that parse the novelization down into doctrinal chunks. But I have yet to find a chronological study guide like the one I developed for my course. All that to ask, “Any publishers out there willing to connect?”
Of all the source-books I was able to access from my church library throughout my preparation, none were as succinct and informative as this, An Analytical Survey of the Bible by Gerald H. Twombly. Although I’m not even certain this book is still in print, and while I used it in concert with several other volumes for the sake of ensuring validity, I found Twombly’s outlining style, graphs, and timelines especially helpful in presenting the facts of biblical context in a clear, systematic fashion. While this may not be the best Bible Survey book out there, it was the best of the books I had available (including Talk thru the Bible), and I’m happy to have explored it this year.
©2021 E.T.