I have problems reading the Old Testament and need help?

Question

If my question is too long, just scroll down to the tl;dr notice and get a quick summary.

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I am having problems on figuring out how to read the Bible.

What's the best way to read the Bible? I've tried starting in the OT, and I only made it to Samuel II, before I got so lost I didn't know what to do. The military statistics, and other things are what lost me the most. I found a lot of problems remembering the names of cities, and secondary people, I couldn't keep my place. And then with the changes in times occurring nearly every book I got lost and just gave up.

Then my friend lent me a KJV that has foot notes, subject references, calendar year system, etc.
Before I was just using a bare NKJV with nothing but a couple footnotes here and there.

So I went and decided to slowly read parts of the NT daily. A few chapters each day, instead of trying to tackle a dozen or half a dozen a day. I found it easier and understood the verses more clearer.

But a few months later, I comeback and I need to go back to the OT, and I am kinda of scared because I messed up on my first reading through, and don't know what to do.

Is it important to understand specific numbers of soldiers killed in war, or which cities were where, etc? I know there's a lot of history in the OT, but it confuses me.

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TL;DR / SHORT VERSION:

I can't understand the OT and I need help.
Anyone have any suggestions?

Answer 1

You have to go to God. He is the only one that can provide understanding. Belief and faith are completely up to God. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot "accept" Jesus. All we can do is beg and pray for mercy and salvation and hope God will save us. It is written:



Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Luke 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.





Time is short. Judgment Day is May 21st, 2011.



Read, read, read the Bible.



Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.



Go to www.ebiblefellowship.com

Answer 2

Understanding Hebrew will help you understand explanations of the differences more readily, but it's far from mandatory. You can get yourself off to a great start by reading entire chapters, rather than a verse or two in theological isolation. The text that Christians get the virgin birth of a savior from is simply a reference to a young woman sitting in the court of King Ahaz; the chapter is about a specific prophecy regarding a siege the court was under. Use Jewish sources whenever possible (if you're trying to research something on-line, use the Jewish names of the books instead of the English ones (which will give you a gazillion Christian sites), so 'Bereshit' instead of 'Genesis'). That way you won't be left wondering how a virgin can give birth. :-)

Answer 3

Hmmmm.....



My first suggestion is this: don't sweat all of the numbers, ages, names, places, years, names, children, wives, names and names in the Old Testament. What's important is that you understand how God and humans interacted - that you learn what happened, not to whom it happened, because these are important lessons for us far more than they are important facts to remember and regurgitate on command.



Probably the most useful thing about the Old Testament is the first five books, "Torah" to Jewish people. This is what many call "The Law" or "The Mosaic Law", and understanding those regulations help us very, very much to understand the New Testament and how people act during that period.



There are some names/stories that are very important for Christians: Abraham; Joseph; Moses; David. Learning well the events related to these individuals (not necessarily the names of the people involved in them or the numbers of people) will help you immensely in understanding the New Testament.



Other than that, think of it as a book that has to be read and understood but does NOT have to be remembered. Far more important than remembering every little detail is carefully reading so that you understand every little detail while you are reading. If remembering is what you desire, that will improve with repeated readings.





My second suggestion: unless you are VERY familiar with early Modern English, get an easier to read Bible, preferably one with educational notes. I recommend these (in order)

* The Learning Bible, NIV (or CEV if you need a VERY easy-to-read Bible)

* The Quest Bible NIV

* The Archaeological Study Bible NIV

-- for Roman Catholics,

- * for the very studious-minded person, the New Jerusalem Bible Regular Edition, the best English Bible currently on the market

- * for the person such as yourself who seems to want a basic understanding of the Bible, the Saint Mary's Press Catholic Youth Bible NAB



If you need a KJV or NKJV, try to get a copy of the MacArthur's Student Bible NKJV. Though out of print, it's very highly recommended

http://www.bibleselector.com/r_nkjv_es.html





Jim

Answer 4

Making Bible Reading Pleasurable

Admittedly, the Bible is a long book to read. Its sheer bulk often frightens youths away from reading it. Some also complain that the Bible is boring. The Bible, though, is God’s revelation to man. It tells us how we got here and where we are going. It spells out exactly what we must do to live forever in Paradise on earth. How could that possibly be boring? Granted, the Bible is not light reading, and in it are “some things hard to understand.” (2 Peter 3:16) But Bible reading need not be drudgery.

Young Marvin gives one practical way to make Bible reading more interesting, saying: “I try to picture the setting and put myself there.” Consider, for instance, the account in Daniel chapter 6. Instead of reading it passively, try to imagine that you are Daniel. You have been arrested on the outrageous charge of praying to your God. The penalty? Death! Persian soldiers roughly drag you to your tomb—a pit filled with hungry lions.

With a low rumble, the huge stone covering the pit is rolled back. The lions below let loose spine-tingling roars. Recoiling in horror, you are overpowered by the king’s soldiers, who pitch you into that pit of death and roll the stone back over the hole. And in the enshrouding gloom, a furry presence rubs up against you . . .

Boring? Hardly! But remember: You are not reading to be entertained. Try to discern what the account teaches about Jehovah. For example, do not Daniel’s experiences demonstrate that Jehovah allows his servants to face difficult trials?

Try, also, to have a regular reading schedule. Why, if you spend just 15 minutes a day reading the Bible, you might be able to complete it in about a year! ‘Buy out the time’ from some less important activity—like TV watching. (Ephesians 5:16) As you apply yourself to Bible reading, you are bound to feel closer than ever to God.—Proverbs 2:1, 5.



You can begin to the poetic part of Bible : Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Salomon...



I give you a Bible online and the connection with the site you can ask for biblical study...

Answer 5

A translation in modern language will help. Also a good bible encyclopedia. McClintock and Strong's is a good one. Take a few chapters at a time and then take time to think about what you have read.

Understanding is more important than the amount of chapters read.

Go at a relaxed pace. You will get more out of it.

Happy reading.

Answer 6

first and foremost the old testament is open to many interpretations. there is JPS and RASHI which are popular jewish interpretations/ translations.



since the original old testament was in hebrew, biblical hebrew which is no longer spoken, every group find different ways to translate it.



unless you are determined to become a biblical scholar it is not important to remember specific statistics, rather i recommended getting a JPS Tnahk (old testament) because it is easier reading. and reading a few pages or as far as your interest desires a night every night. sub consciously you will be able to recall details.



if you get confused on any details, ask a rabbi or a well versed non-orthodox Jew, but explain you only wish to discuss the Torah (old testament) , not the talmud (rabbinic commentary).



Jews deal exclusively in the old testament. i hope this helps.

Answer 7

Use a modern version (Good News or NIV) for ease of reading.

Read the Prophets and Psalms. Proverbs, Song Of Solomon.

Go back to Genesis and Exodus, then try Joshua, Judges and Ruth.



Leviticus-Deuteronomy can wait.

By then you should be in the swing of things.

One or two Chapters at a time is fine

Answer 8

You know what you did, when you consolidated the main point of your question in the TL;DR ?

A quick summary of the Bible is what you need to help you get an overview of what is going on!



IF you are not familiar with th e main events & characters in the Bible,

I strongly suggest that you start with:



"My Book of Bible Stories"

http://www.watchtower.org/e/my/section_00.htm



This book puts them in chronological order,

and provides link-references to all of the Bible verses used, story by story.

This is to encourage you to look up & read all of them, along with the story text.





Perhaps the MAIN importance of the Hebrew Scriptures (O.T.) is that they contain many, MANY prophesies about the Messiah, from hundreds of years in advance---which only Christ has fulfilled, thus proving his true identity:



"How Daniel's Prophecy Foretells the Messiah's Arrival"

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_02.htm



"Jesus Christ---The Promised Messiah"

- Prophecies Regarding the Messiah

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_03.htm



The Bible book of Daniel contains some other very important prophecies, too, which are undergoing fulfillment right now. The best introduction to Daniel's prophecies --besides the book of Daniel itself-- is:



"Pay Attention to Daniel's Prophecy!"

http://www.watchtower.org/e/publications/index.htm



It aids the reader to examine the entire book of Daniel, verse by verse, comparing them to relevant verses elsewhere in the Bible, as well as to world history. (I found it very exciting reading, as it shows how other prophesies & things tie in!)





Instead of trying to read the Bible straight through, without knowing anything about what you are reading, I found it much more rewarding to glean the main teachings first, and then going back & piecing them together. I do suggest starting with the prophecies regarding Christ --then & now & future-- though, because that is of the highest relevance for our day!





You can quickly find where the Bible speaks of different main issues, by researching it with the help of the Bible study aid:



"What Does the Bible Really Teach?"

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/article_00.htm





Another thing that you may want to look into, is locating a Bible that is much more up to date than the KJV, as well as in modern English . . . The more modern translations have much older & more accurate sources than the KJV did in 1600!



"How You Can Choose a Good Bible Translation"

- From One Extreme to the Other

- Are Word-for-Word Translations Best?

- What About Free Translations?

- Why the Need for Caution?

- Finding the Best Translation

http://watchtower.org/e/20080501a/article_01.htm





When you are starting out, the main thing to look for is what it indicates about our Creator, and mankind's relationship with him. Students of the Bible never stop learning new things each time they re-read it. Each reading works as a laying of a foundation, for building upon during the following reading!





Here are 3 more articles that may help encourage you:



"Can the Bible Be Understood?"

- How You Can Understand the Bible!

http://watchtower.org/e/20090701/article_01.htm



"Do You Allow God to Speak to You Every Day?"

http://watchtower.org/e/20090801a/article_01.htm



"What Is the Value of the 'Old Testament'?" :

- Is the 'Old Testament' Still Relevant? [Yes!]

- It Was 'Written for Our Instruction'

http://watchtower.org/e/20070901/article_01.htm

.

Answer 9

Congratulations on your wise choice of finding higher wisdom, which God will grant you joyfully,as long as you keep trying. Any questions that you get stuck on,you can anytime text at 3377787 area code 816 and maybe find an answer. God bless you dear with vast amounts of spiritual wisdom. LOL and peace to you

Answer 10

1) may be you have some eye problem-consult an opthalmologist



2)or change your reading from fictional books

Answer 11

your wasting your time then, the bible wasnt made for anyone to understand only priests can understand them or people who create other meanings for each paragraph

Answer 12

Maybe you shouldn't be trying to read books with two eyepatches on.

Answer 13

the significance of the detail is that there is detail

don't worry about memorizing it

Answer 14

OK... take the example of one of the alleged Bible writers!



Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth* (*According to the Jewish Bible writers Moses was drooling with Holy modesty while writing his share of Bible stories!).



They claim with pride the story of a Holy and meek “LAW GIVER” Moses stabbing in the back an Egyptian foreman because HE WAS TOO ROUGH ON THE JEWS! Moses had to run away from the Pharaoh’s Police to the Kingdom of Midian in the Palestine region where he was given FULL ASYLUM. 40 Bible years later he returns to Egypt to take over the INSTANTANEOUS FULL LEADERSHIP of 2,000,000+ Jews who hardly ever heard about him. He told them that his newly found God by the name of Yahweh (aka YHWH, aka Jehovah, aka The LORD) promised to conquer the Land of Palestine for them as long as they kill all the Palestinians living in there. This is no joke! The Palestine region was the Jewish Bible writers’ “God’s Holy Promised Land” for Israel. The Jews are still fighting for it!



Moses became a cold bloody murderer. The “Thou shalt not kill” commandment was more of a big finger salute to the foreman that he murdered back in Egypt, and to his widow and children! KILLING ANYBODY TO SETTLE A “GODLY” ACCOUNT IS OK WITH THE BIBLE GOD (Exo 2:12)! It is done all over in the Bible stories. They have God ordering Moses to slaughter everybody, including babies and pregnant women in the Palestine region to make room for Israel!



Numbers 25:16-17 (NIV) (Moses? wrote) The Lord said to Moses, “Treat the Midianites as enemies AND KILL THEM…”* (*regardless of how good they were to him when he was running away from the Pharaoh’s police! The PREACHERS today explain that the Midianites were “SINFUL” people that GOD wanted slaughtered!)



The Midianites couldn’t possibly be a political “enemy” of Israel because in this story Israel didn’t exist as a nation, yet. They were born slaves in Egypt, but promoted to a country of their own in Palestine. Their God is ordering Moses to TREAT THE MIDIANITES AS ENEMIES AND TO KILL ALL OF THEM! Zipporah, Moses’ first long term loving wife was a Midianite! No Christian wishes to talk about the TOTAL HOLOCAUST of millions of Midianites because in real world HISTORY there is no evidence of any such massacre… like the real one of Hitler holocausting the Jews (KARMA?)!



Numbers 31:17-18 (NIV) Now kill all the boys* (*today some Christians are upset at the Clergy and Preachers for FONDLING KIDS, but this here is a Bible story of “GOD” ORDERING the outright genocide of Midianite CHILDREN! Moses’ children were Midianites!). And kill every woman* (*including Moses’ mother in law and any other female relative. The Bible God says to SHOW NO MERCY TO ANY PREGNANT WOMEN! It is amazing that Christians TODAY follow a new Clergy inspired anti-abortion stand to WORSHIP THIS SADISTIC CHILDREN AND PREGNANT WOMEN KILLING GOD… JUST TO HURT WOMEN IN REAL NEED OF AN ABORTION!) who has slept with a man* (*that is ANY PREGNANT WOMEN! But spare the Blessed Virgin Mary… if anybody spots her! God the Holy Ghost got her pregnant and that is OK! Still all pregnant women and any girl who “slept with a man” even with their own husband MUST DIE! (“PRAISE THE LORD!” –says PTL!) Moses and the Bible God couldn’t care less about any fetus! The fetuses had to be destroyed with the pregnant women! No preacher today would risk his source of income denouncing any gross immorality in the Bible stories! I QUIT CHRISTIANITY AND RELIGION IN GENERAL to tell you like it is. Only immoral Preaches still push the Bible God down everybody’s throat in the USA), BUT SAVE FOR YOURSELVES EVERY GIRL* (*GIRLS!!! NOT OLD LADIES!!!) WHO HAS NEVER SLEPT WITH A MAN* (*even once! CHRISTIANS BELIEVE “THE FULL COUNSEL OF GOD” or they go to “HELL” when they die!).



Oh, YES! Isn’t this pedophile oriented God so WONDERFUL? In Bible times, any religious sexual predator or abuser was FULLY PROTECTED by the Priestly Clergy! There are NO LAWS IN THE BIBLE AGAINST SEXUAL CHILD ABUSE! In essence, Moses was a cold bloody mass murderer worse than Hitler, a sexual predator and also a proficient Bible story writer, if he ever existed that is! Moses set the rules for today’s Clergy and Preachers who feel comfortable groping and fondling almost anybody! Deut 17:12-13.



Today’s Christianity is still a very primitive and repulsive religion, second only to Islam! Pedophilia and the killing of innocent children and pregnant women was NEVER a “sin” in the Bible stories, but a Holy routine! In Midian alone the HOLY MEN OF GOD collected 32,000 young virgin girls for their own sexual pleasure (Num. 31:35). WIKILEAKS IS TOTALLY MUTE ABOUT THE GROSS IMMORALITY IN ANY RELIGIOUS BOOK. Religion is a multi-billion dollar business that in most religious countries like the USA is protected and encouraged by Federal law!



HAVE FUN!