Last month, I read through the whole Bible in a 31-day
period. As I read, I tried to figure out the theme of each book, the
character/attribute of God that was being portrayed and what the key
passages/verses were (and no I didn't look at a commentary). This is what I found (books approximately in
chronological order)…
Genesis – God as
Creator and Sovereign Covenant Maker:
No longer shall your
name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a
father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will
make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish
My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their
generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants
after you.
-
Gen 17:5-7
Job – God as the
Infinite Almighty, Sovereign over suffering
"I know that You
can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You
asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have
uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not
know.”
- Job 42:2-3
Exodus – God the
Deliverer
"I am the Lord
your God, who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. - Ex 20:2
Leviticus – the
God who is Holy
And you shall be holy
to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that
you should be Mine. - Lev 20:26
Numbers – God as
Merciful Provider (21:8-9)
Then the Lord said to
Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that
everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." So Moses
made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had
bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. - Num 21:8-9
Deuteronomy – the
God who Loves
The Lord did not set His love on you nor
choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were
the least of all peoples; but because the Lord
loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers,
the Lord has brought you out with
a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of
Pharaoh king of Egypt. - Deut 7:7-8
Joshua – the God
who is Faithful
Not a word failed of
any good thing which the Lord had
spoken to the house of Israel.
All came to pass. - Josh 21:45
Judges – the God
who is Judge (but merciful too!)
They forsook the Lord
and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the Lord was hot
against Israel.
So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He
sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no
longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord
was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn
to them. And they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless, the Lord raised
up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
-
Judges 2:13-16
Ruth – God as
Redeemer
And he said, "Who
are you?" So she answered, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your
maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative." - Ruth 3:9
1 Samuel – God as
rightful King
And the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed the
voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected
you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to
all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt,
even to this day--with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods--so
they are doing to you also." - 1 Sam
8:7-8
2 Samuel – God
the Kingdom Builder (beginning with David’s reign over Israel)
“And your house and
your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be
established forever." - 2
Sam 7:16
1 Chronicles –
the God who keeps His promises (David’s reign over Israel)
Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying,
"Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, even when Saul
was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord
your God said to you, 'You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over
My people Israel.' " - 1 Chron
11:1-2
Psalms – the God
who is our Refuge
God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear… - Psalms 46:1-2
Proverbs – God as
the Source of Wisdom
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come
knowledge and understanding…
-
Prov 2:6
Ecclesiastes –
God as the Source of Life’s Meaning
Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is
man's all. - Eccl 12:13
Song of Solomon –
God as our Beloved
I am my Beloved's,
and His desire is toward me.
-
Song 7:10
1 Kings – God’s
Faithfulness to His Covenant
And he walked in all
the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal
to the Lord his God, as was the
heart of his father David. Nevertheless
for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up
his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; because David did what was
right in the eyes of the Lord…
- 1 Kings 15:3-5
2 Chronicles –
the God who hears prayer
"When they sin
against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with
them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or
near; yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried
captive, and repent… then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and
their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have
sinned against You.” - 2 Chron
6:36-39
And the Lord spoke to
Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. Therefore the Lord brought
upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh
with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. Now when
he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly
before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his
entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his
kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. - 2 Chron 33:10-13
2 Kings – God’s
Longsuffering & Judgment
And this occurred
because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of
Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods
and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel… - 2 Kings 17:7-8 (ESV)
Obadiah – God as
Avenger of His people (against Edom)
"For the
day of the Lord upon all the
nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; your
reprisal shall return upon your own head.”
-
Ob 1:15
Joel – the God
who Restores
He will cause the rain
to come down for you - the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with
new wine and oil. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming
locust has eaten…” - Joel 2:23-25
Hosea – God as
Faithful, Forgiving Husband
Then the Lord said to
me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing
adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and
love the raisin cakes of the pagans."
- Hosea 3:1
Jonah – God the
Compassionate One
“Ah, Lord, was not
this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to
Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger
and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm…”
-
Jonah 4:2
Amos – the God
who Judges Sin
"You only have I
known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all
your iniquities." - Amos 3:2
Micah – the God
who Punishes and then Restores
I will bear the
indignation of the Lord, because I
have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness. - Micah 7:9
Isaiah – The God
who brings Righteousness
I will greatly rejoice
in the Lord, my soul shall be
joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has
covered me with the robe of righteousness…
-
Isaiah 61:10
Nahum – God as
the enemy of Nineveh
The burden against Nineveh… God is
jealous, and the Lord avenges; the
Lord avenges and is
furious. The Lord will take
vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His
enemies… - Nahum 1:1-2
Habakkuk – The
God who has the last word
But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the
earth keep silence before Him."
-
Hab 2:20
Zephaniah – the
God who lives among His people
The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty
One, will save…
-
Zeph 3:17
Jeremiah – the
God of Vengeance
Shall I not punish
them for these things?" says the Lord. "And shall I not avenge Myself
on such a nation as this? - Jer 5:9
Lamentations – the
God who Weeps over Jerusalem
"For these things
I weep; my eye, my eye overflows with water; Because the comforter, who should
restore my life, Is far from me. My children are desolate because the enemy
prevailed." - Lam 1:16
(NKJV)
Ezekiel – the God
who Warns His People
"Son of man, I
have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from
My mouth, and give them warning from Me…”
- Ezek 3:17
Daniel – the God
of Everlasting Rule
I make a decree that
in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of
Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one
which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end.
-
Dan 6:26
Haggai – the God
who has Zeal for His House
Then the word of the
Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Is it time for you
yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in
ruins?"
-
Hag 1:3-4
Zechariah – the
God who Returns to His House (Jerusalem)
Thus says the Lord: 'I will return to Zion,
and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.'
- Zech 8:3
Ezra – the God
who Stirs Men’s Hearts
Now in the first year
of Cyrus king of Persia,
that the word of the Lord by the
mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom…
-
Ezra 1:1
Esther – the God
who Raises up Deliverance
“For if you remain
completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews
from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows
whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
-
Esth 4:14
Nehemiah – the
God who Rebuilds
So the wall was
finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened,
when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these
things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived
that this work was done by our God.
-
Neh 6:15-16
Malachi – the God
who is Worthy of Honor
For from the rising of
the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in
every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My
name shall be great among the nations," says the Lord of hosts.
-
Mal 1:11
NEW TESTAMENT:
Note: The first 3 Gospel’s were harder as they are very
similar.
Matthew – Christ
the foretold King
All this was done that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "Tell
the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt,
the foal of a donkey.' " - Matt
21:4-5
Mark – Christ,
the suffering servant
“For even the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for
many.” - Mark 10:45
Luke – Christ the
promised Messiah
And when He had opened
the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the
Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are
oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Then He
closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes
of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to
them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
-
Luke 4:17-21
John – Jesus as
God in the Flesh
In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us… - John
1:1 &14
“I and My Father are
one.” - John 10:30
Acts – The God
who Builds His Church
Then the churches
throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the
comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. - Acts 9:31
James – True
Faith and the Christian Life
Do you see that faith
was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? - James
2:22
Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done
in the meekness of wisdom. - James 3:13
Galatians –
Salvation is through Faith alone (not by keeping the law)
…knowing that a man is
not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we
have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ
and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be
justified.
-
Gal 2:16
1 Thessalonians –
Encouragement to keep on living as to please the Lord
Finally then,
brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and
more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God…
-
1 Thess 4:1
2 Thessalonians –
Further encouragement to endure and walk worthy of the Christ
Therefore we also pray
always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill
all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,
12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you
in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 2 Thess 1:11-12
1 Corinthians –
The CHURCH: God’s Temple & Body
Do you not know that
you are the temple
of God and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you? - 1 Cor
3:16
For as the body is one
and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one
body, so also is Christ. - 1 Cor
12:12
2 Corinthians –
Our boast and hope is in Christ alone
But "he who
glories, let him glory in the Lord."
- 2 Cor 10:17
Therefore, since we
have such hope, we use great boldness of speech… - 2 Cor 3:12
Romans – The way
from Death to the fullness of Life
Therefore we were
buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. - Romans 6:4
Colossians –
Christ, the fullness of God in us
For in Him dwells all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is
the head of all principality and power. - Col 2:9-10
Philemon – Paul’s
appeal on behalf of Onesiums (personal letter to Philemon)
I appeal to you for my
son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains… I am sending him back.
You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart… - Philemon 1:12
Ephesians – Believers
are united with Christ by grace
But God, who is rich
in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were
dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus… - Eph 2:4-6
Philippians – No
matter what your circumstances, rejoice in the Lord
Rejoice in the Lord
always. Again I will say, rejoice! - Phil 4:4
1 Timothy – Stay
true, and encourage others keep the faith
If you instruct the
brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ,
nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have
carefully followed. - 1 Tim 4:6
Titus – Trust in
God, and do what’s right
This is a faithful
saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have
believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good
and profitable to men. - Titus 3:8
1 Peter – Our
unity in Christ through Suffering
Beloved, do not think
it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake
of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad
with exceeding joy.
- 1 Peter 4:12-13
Jude – Defend the
Faith!
…I found it necessary
to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once
for all delivered to the saints. - Jude
1:3
Hebrews – Jesus
is Better!
But now He has
obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was established on better promises. -Heb 8:6
2 Timothy – Paul’s
last words to Timothy: Be strong, keep the faith to the end
You therefore, my son,
be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have
heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be
able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ. - 2 Tim
2:1-3
2 Peter – Warning
to guard against false teaching
You therefore,
beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall
from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. - 2 Peter 3:17-18
1 John – The
evidence of true salvation
These things I have
written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know
that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. - 1 John 5:13
2 John – Watch
that you don’t wander from the truth
For many deceivers
have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the
flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we
do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.
- 2 John 1:7-8
3 John – Don’t
follow bad examples (a personal letter to Gaius)
Beloved, do not
imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who
does evil has not seen God. - 3 John 1:11
Revelation – The
fulfillment of God’s Mysterious Plan
…there should be delay
no longer, but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is
about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His
servants the prophets. - Rev 10:6-7
