OT in 52 Weeks

The OT in 52 Weeks
Scroll down to see week-by-week helps for Readers & Pray-ers 

1.    Gen 1
2.    Gen 2
3.    Gen 3
4.    Gen 6-7
5.    Gen 9
6.    Gen 11
7.    Gen 12
8.    Gen 18-19
9.    Gen 22
10. Gen 25:19f
11. Gen 28
12. Gen 37
13. Gen 39
14. Gen 50:15f
15. Ex 1
16. Ex 2
17. Ex 3
18. Ex 5-6
19. Ps 105
20. Ex 15
21. Ex 19-20
22. Lev 19
23. Ps 106
24. Nu 14
25. Dt 11
26. Dt 17:14& all of 18
27. Josh 1
28. Josh 2
29. Josh 3
30. Josh 5
31. Josh 21
32. Jdg 2
33. 1 Sam 3
34. 1 Sam 8
35. 1 Sam 15
36. 1 Sam 16
37. 1 Sam 24

38. 2 Sam 7

39. 2 Sam 11
40. 2 Sam 12:1-25
41. 1 Ki 3

42. 1 Ki 4
43. 1 Ki 8
44. 1 Ki 11
45. 1 Ki 12
46. 2 Ki 2: up to v18 if short of time

48.  2 Chronicles 36:5-end

49. Daniel 3

50. Ezra 3:1-4:5
51. Nehemiah 7:73-9:3
52. Malachi 3&4

Short Introductions & Prayers

1.    Gen 1
2.    Gen 2
3.    Gen 3
4.    Gen 6-7
5.    Gen 9
6.    Gen 11
7.    Gen 12
8.    Gen 18-19
9.    Gen 22
10. Gen 25:19f
11. Gen 28
12. Gen 37
13. Gen 39
14. Gen 50:15f
15. Ex 1
16. Ex 2
17. Ex 3
18. Ex 5-6
19. Ps 105
20. Ex 15
21. Ex 19-20
22. Lev 19

In our 52-week survey of the OT, we've reached the giving of the Law of Moses.  But Leviticus?  Do we really need to hear about which hairstyles were illegal in ancient Israel?

2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,"

So, clearly, we must believe that Leviticus 19 is "useful", "profitable" for us as Christians.

Before we read, I will just highlight some of the relevance of the passage:

-God cares about people being paid on time. v13 says that even to delay a man's wage a day is a sin.  This shows how much Kurdistan needs our Saviour Jesus.

-God cares for Special Needs people- try not to miss his concern for the deaf and blind in v14.

That said, there are things that are more difficult to understand.  Do you wear shirts made of a mixture of polyester & cotton? According to the end of v19, that would have been a sin.

We don't reject this law, we see it as fulfilled in Christ.  We too must be holy in all that we do, just like the Israelites were to be holy- that is, distinct, in every area of life, even down to their clothing and agricultural practice.  But we are not a separate ethnic group any more, we are the people of God from many nations, so we see holiness as a moral quality, not a ceremonial matter...now that we live this side of the Cross of Jesus.

A Prayer:

Holy Father,

Sixteen times in this chapter you remind us that you are the LORD our God.  Thank you that you set apart the Israelites to be a light to the nations in the way they treated slaves and women, and old people and the blind and deaf, and migrants, and 'amil (day labourers).  We bow before you in adoration that out of your fatherly, compassionate heart came all these beautiful laws that show concern for the people who are often ignored, ripped off or abused by society.

We pray for preachers around the world not to ignore the Law of Moses but to expose sin through preaching it rightly, and beginning with us in this church, LORD, we ask that this region would be filled with the light of your blazing holiness.  Help us to be absolutely above reproach when we deal with money, and with the thousands of IDPs [migrants etc] that are all around us.  Help us, in short, to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

With v18 in mind, we pray for any here this morning who are struggling with a grudge: please by the power of our all-forgiving Saviour, who gave his life to wipe clean the record of our many sins, would we wipe clean any grudges we bear against one another, and instead walk in brotherly love towards one another.

Through Him and so that he would be known as the Holy Saviour, we pray all these things, AMEN."

23. Ps 106

Last week we dipped into Leviticus, and this week we get a taste of the book of Numbers; but Numbers is a long book and by reading Ps 106 together we cover that period of Israel wandering in the desert.  By singing this song together, the Jews reminded themselves of how rebellious they were for those forty years.  

Five episodes from the Book of Numbers are mentioned in this Psalm*.  As we read, let's be honest before God about ways in which we've rebelled against him, then we will move into a time of confession and prayer together.

*Nu 11, 14, 16, 25, 20

A Prayer:

Our Father,

We come to you seeking your forgiveness.  We confess that, like the Israelites, we have not remembered your many kindnesses to us.  

Thank you for your tender mercy, that you spared not your own son, but gave him up for us all.  Our church vision statement is to live not for ourselves but for him for died for us, but we confess we have not remembered Christ in our daily walk.  All too often we have lived wanting people to think highly of us, worried about our reputation rather than Christ's reputation.

But thank you that you have not forgotten us.  You take note of our distress, you hear our cry and you remember your covenant.  Please keep your promise today to forgive those who confess their sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, through Christ who died the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.  Lord, we long to serve you with clear consciences, so that we rejoice and leap like calves released from the stall.  And we pray this for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake. AMEN" 

24. Nu 14

[perhaps a map with Kadesh Barnea on it might help.  All we need to say is it was a short journey to the Promised Land, but it took them 40 years to get there, and this dramatic story explains why]

Or, a longer lead-in: The purpose of these OT readings is to equip us to enjoy reading the OT for ourselves, by giving us the key events in the history of Israel.  This passage explains why the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years.  They had been rescued from terrible slavery in Egypt, miraculously passed through the Red Sea, miraculously been fed with Bread from heaven, and yet they doubted God.

Some of us face great opposition, but the same question remains for us: "Do we believe God, who began a good work in us, will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus? Is he powerful enough to make us victorious and bring us safely into the New Heavens and the New Earth?"

[It is best to start reading at 13:26]

A PRAYER: "Thank you, Father, for Moses' zeal for your name.  May we also be gripped by a determination to see you glorified among the nations. 

We especially pray for believers seeking to establish a church in the Mslm world.  Truly, LORD, these isolated believers feel like grasshoppers before the Nephilim.  The mullahs are against them, the authorities often imprison them, and even their own relatives are willing to kill them.  But if they give up, LORD, the unbelievers will see this and conclude that Jesus was unable to keep them.

So, please, show your power by giving great perseverance to [X,Y or Z known to your church] so that they believe it is worth serving Christ.  More than that, we ask that as they hold on to the hope held out in the gospel, others will be drawn to you.

We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us before your glorious presence without fault and with great joy, AMEN.

25. Dt 11
26. Dt 17:14& all of 18
27. Josh 1
28. Josh 2
29. Josh 3
30. Josh 5
31. Josh 21
32. Jdg 2
33. 1 Sam 3
34. 1 Sam 8
35. 1 Sam 15
36. 1 Sam 16
37. 1 Sam 24

38. 2 Sam 7

39. 2 Sam 11
40. 2 Sam 12:1-25
41. 1 Ki 3

Last week we heard that God chose a young shepherd boy, David, to be the king of Israel.  But Saul, the first king, is still in power.  And 1 Samuel 17 all the way through to the end of the book – ch 28 is a long story of a corrupt ruler persecuting the rightful ruler.
In this passage, David gets the chance to kill Saul while he’s, ahem, going to the toilet.  But he refuses to do so; even though David has been hunted down like an animal by this crazy dictator, David will not take revenge.  He leaves that to God.
As we hear this chapter, we’re meant see in David an preview of an even more amazing king- Jesus, the gret-great-great….grandson of David.  We should wonder afresh at how meek and kind Jesus was.  He did not take revenge on his enemies; in fact, he went to his death like a lamb led to the slaughter.
It’s also very practical: imagine your husband has been very harsh with you.  Do you give him the cold treatment and refuse to talk to him, to ‘pay him back’ for how unkind he’s been to you.  Or do you try to overcome evil with good and continue to be kind and respectful to someone who doesn’t deserve it?
38. 2 Sam 7

2 Samuel 7 sees David wanting to build a house for God- ie a temple.  And the big message of the chapter is God saying through Nathan: “No, you won’t build ME a house; I’ll build YOU a house.”  In Hebrew, as in English, ‘house’ can mean 2 things:  David wants to build a TEMPLE; God promises to build a DYNASTY, a kingdom that will last forever.
Sovereign Lord,
Like David in this reading, we take courage to pray to you after hearing your promise.
We thank you for your plan promised hundreds of years in advance for the house of David, and how you fulfilled that word in the Lord Jesus Christ, born in David’s town, descended from David.  ; thank you for bringing salvation to your people Israel through Christ the king, who died and rose again to give us victory over death and all our enemies.  Thank you for grafting in to your people Israel us Gentiles from many far-off nations.  Thank you that neither King Herod nor Nero nor Mao Tse Tung or any other persecutor has been able to stop the growth of Jesus’ kingdom.
“O LORD God, confirm forever the word you have spoken…and do as you have spoken.”  You have spoken that your house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.  So please, Father, continue to bring in the nations to acknowledge Christ Jesus as their king.  (A particular prayer for a nation that your church has concern for)

39. 2 Sam 11
40. 2 Sam 12:1-25
41. 1 Ki 3

What is your greatest ambition in life?  Our reading this week challenges us to think what, deep down, is our deepest desire: is it a successful career, a comfortable standard of living, a husband or wife, or is it wisdom?  Let's listen carefully to what Solomon asked God for, and then notice how he used his wisdom: in sorting out a row between two prostitutes.  Our wisdom must be practical wisdom that will help even the poorest and most despised in society.

Prayer after Reading: "Our Father, the Only Wise God, we praise you for the example Solomon set, for his hunger for wisdom.  Like Solomon, we ask that we would begin with humility: truly, we are but little children and do not know how to live our lives, especially when we have to make decisions for our children, our students or our employees.  Grant us understanding minds, we pray.  And as we are reminded of our many foolish decisions, even the sins of this last week, we rejoice again that you have sent a Saviour, one wiser than Solomon, to pay for our folly on the cross.  'Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification and redemption.' "

Song: Psalm 72:1-7

42. 1 Ki 4
43. 1 Ki 8
44. 1 Ki 11
45. 1 Ki 12
46. 2 Ki 2: up to v18 if short of time

In covering the OT in 52 weeks, we only have space for one reading about Elijah, who is the greatest prophet of the OT.  (It was only him and Moses who appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus)  Many people know about how on Mt Carmel he called down fire from heaven.  Now we see him disappearing in fire into heaven.

Israel passed through the waters miraculously as they left Egypt -under Moses- and then again when they entered Canaan - under Joshua.  Here we read of Elijah passing through the waters, leaving his successor Elisha behind...who also passes miraculously through the waters.

Prayer: "Father, we remember with gladness how you did not abandon your people Israel during the time of the wicked kings of Israel, but you gave them a faithful remnant, the sons of the prophets who continued to call your people back to you.  Please grant that in our day when the band of true disciples feels so fearfully small, that we would be bold in calling people to follow the True & Living God.  And please would the power that was with Elijah and Elisha be with us.  

Thank you that John the Baptist came in the Spirit and power of Elijah and did wonderful things making people ready for the Lord, and thank you for the one who came after John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus our Prophet- and King- and Priest.  

Lord, like Elisha we find ourselves alone -with our spiritual leader, who was taken up into heaven, no longer with us physically.  We pray for those in our fellowship who are lonely, needing guidance, or fearful.  Please comfort their hearts and lead them to trust the Word you have entrusted to us so that they walk in paths of righteousness.  And finally, Father, we thank you that our Lord Jesus, now seated at your right hand in heaven, will one day return coming with the clouds."

47. 2 Ki 17

2 Kings 17

Last week we saw something of the lives of Elijah and Elisha, the men of God who kept a candle of truth burning in the dark times of King Ahab.  But, they only had a small following – 7000 in Israel who did not bow the knee to Baal- and Israel as a whole continued on in idolatry.

 We should try to remember certain chapter references in the Bible: the key turning-points of history.  And 2 Kings 17 is one of those:  The Assyian exile.  722 BC.  2 Kings 25 – the Babylonian exile- we will do next week.  And 2 Ki 17 is especially important for Kurdish people, because it explains how the Jews first came to live in Kurdistan- in the cities of the Medes.

A Prayer: “Father, we thank you for this very honest account of Israel’s hypocrisy.  We confess that we too, have often been orthodox in our church services, but have secretly worshipped other things: money, our own reputation, or our own culture.  Please forgive us according to your tender mercy, that love that you showed again and again to faithless Israel.

We thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ who resisted temptation and worshipped you alone, when the devil offered him so much power and glory.  May your law be written more and more deeply on our hearts so that we will be careful to keep your decrees and ordinances.  Father, even if enemies should threaten us, may we be true to you.  As we entrust ourselves afresh to you, may we be delivered from those who want to stamp out our gospel witness.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord we pray, AMEN.”

48.  2 Chronicles 36:5-end

49. Daniel 3

We’ve been following the sad story of Israel’s exile.  First came the Assyrian invasion, and after that only two of the twelve tribes of Israel remained in the land.  Then came the Babylonian invasion- they wanted to crush what was left of this once-great kingdom.

2 Chronicles 36:19  sums it up: "They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there."

Clearly the Babylonians recognised the power of fire.  They burnt the Jewish temple, and they thought they could burn the Jewish people too- those who were determined enough to refuse to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image.  But these three Jewish men miraculously survived the fiery furnace, and God's greatness became known across the Babylonian empire.

In an age when much of the outer fabric of Christianity is being destroyed in the Middle East, it is enormously encouraging to consider that no human political power can destroy the faithful few who bravely stand for the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Prayer:

“God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the same God who promised to make a great nation of Abraham, thank you that in every generation you have remained faithful.  Thank you that the furious rage of Dictator Nebuchadnezzar could not destroy your servants and that this intense persecution was used to make your unique saving power known among the nations.

Keep us, we ask Father when we’re either being seduced by the sweet music of those who want us to conform, or terrified by the consequences we face when we make a stand for you and refuse to bow down before the idols of this age.

Lord, none of us seeks suffering, and we ask you to deliver us from evil men who would want to harm us.  But if our stand for you should lead to our death, we ask you to keep us faithful even to death, and we ask you not to forsake those we leave behind.

And we pray all this through our Lord Jesus, who himself tasted death for us so that our future in paradise with you would be secured. AMEN.”  

50. Ezra 3:1-4:5 (or start at 2:64)

We saw last week the terrifying dicatatorship the Jews had to live under in Babylon.  But faithful men like Daniel never forgot God's promise - that the exile would only last 70 years. 

And some of the prophecies about Israel’s future were spectacular.  Isaiah 54 promised that Jerusalem, this afflicted city – it had been burned down – would be rebuilt with turquoise, sapphires, and rubies: “all your walls of precious stones.” 

Yes, God kept his promise to bring his people back.  But note- only 42,000 returned! This was a pathetically small portion of a once great nation.  And the temple was so small that when they built it some of the older folk wept with disappointment!

I won’t read you the long list of names of those who returned (!)- Let’s pick it up at Ezra 2:64

Some Prayers:

“Father,

Like those 42,000 people of Judah, we rejoice that today you are building a temple in which you live by your Spirit.  Thank you that we are being built together as living stones, as a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to you.   We pray that we would respect and love one another whenever we get irritated by eachother – may we treat eachother with the love that is fitting for people who together are a temple for the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Gracious Father, Thank you for the example of Zerubbabel and others who laid the foundation of this second temple, despite their fear of the people around them.  Please grant us that courage so that we would be as bold as lions.  And give us generous sacrificial spirits, Lord, so that like those Israelites who gave all that gold and silver, we would give from our possessions to help plant and strengthen churches. Amen.”

51. Nehemiah 7:73-9:3

Last week, we read of the Jews who returned from Babylon and rebuilt the temple.
That was in the book of Ezra. Then there’s the book of Nehemiah. And in the book of Nehemiah, there are three things that are done to rebuild the people of God:

1. They rebuild the walls around Jerusalem
   
2. They repopulate the towns of Judah
   
3. They read the Law of God.
   

We pick up the story in the last verse of ch 7: 7:73.


A prayer:
“Thank you Father for shaming us with the zeal of these Israelites. Thank you for this joyous gathering of men women and children listening attentively to your word from daybreak til noon. We pray for this congregation, that the leaders will devote themselves like Ezra to a study of your word, to reading it and teaching it; and we pray for all those who assist in other ways, like these 14 Levites who explained the meaning of what was written.


And Father we ask also that as we hear the word of God week by week we would rejoice greatly, and that those who observe the life of our church would see that our hope in you makes us not miserable people but happy people, people whose strength is the joy of the LORD.”

52. Malachi 3&4